Power in community psychology research and practice

While power underpins so much of community psychology, it is not usually the focus of research or practice. Even empowerment approaches lack clear definition of the power against which they are operating. This article introduces a model developed at Peabody College, Vanderbilt University, to understand various power dimensions and levels at which it can have impacts. Such a multifaceted model has facilitated the series of articles that follow – re‐analysing the authors' work with power as the core element in the analyses, and understanding the different levels of analysis, sources of power, and ways in which power imbalances can be redressed. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.