Benefits and Limitations of Psychological Interventions (Essay Sample)

Benefits and Limitations of Psychological Interventions
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Benefits and Limitations of Psychological Interventions
The interventions by community psychologists at the four distinct levels, that is, individual, small group, organizational and community is usually intended to bring about desirable outcomes since the psychologists act in their capacity as agents of social change. However, apart from the benefits of such interventions, some disadvantages often result as externalities of such interventions. The benefits and limitations have a common structure but usually vary depending on the level of intervention since the techniques and instruments used vary.
Individual
At the individual level, psychological interventions often help to provide emotional strength and vitality. For instance, it has been found that stress-reducing psychological interventions for patients improve emotional strength and immune responses (Science Daily, 2015). Moreover, psychological interventions at this level serve to boost the self-esteem of patients by providing them with the required assurance and a sense of belonging. However, psychological intervention at this level can result in socially undesirable outcomes. For instance, an intervention designed to impart self-esteem in a patient may result in a feeling of denial since individualistic people often view "external" psychological interventions as meddling (PMH, 2015). Most limitations of interventions at the individual level often result due to the abstract and the subjective nature of individuals.
Small Group
At the small group level, psychological interventions can result in cohesiveness, as it is an opportunity to address a group confronted with similar problems. Additionally, psychological interventions boost self-esteem at this point just as it does at the individual level only that the mechanisms differ. At the small group level, efforts to boost self-esteem are anchored on the appeal to the group, that is, an individual is made to realize that there are others "just like them." The limitation of interventions at the small-group level is that it is not possible to design a single most effective technique or instrument that effectively addresses every individual in the group.
Organization
Interventions at the organizational level are advantageous as they structure a self-reinforcing mechanism that serve to produce desired outcomes. Since an organization is a platform for a community-based practice, psychological interventions provide the required information and the organizational systems aid in monitoring outcomes. Moreover, psychological interventions at organizational levels have also been found to enhance labor productivity and employee satisfaction (PMH, 2015). This advantage is attributed to the employee motivation best practices in which organizations require non-business interventions to stretch the performance margins. However, interventions at the organizational level have a limit...