Contributions to Positive Social Change

How will you use your education to contribute to social change and the greater global good? How might you, even in some small way, change the world? For this week’s Assignment, consider how your chosen role within the field of psychology can contribute to social change.

To prepare:

Read Walden University’s definition of positive social change:

“Walden University defines positive social change as a deliberate process of creating and applying ideas, strategies, and actions to promote the worth, dignity, and development of individuals, communities, organizations, institutions, cultures, and societies. Positive social change results in the improvement of human and social conditions.
This definition of positive social change provides an intellectually-comprehensive and socially-constructive foundation for the programs, research, professional activities, and products created by the Walden academic community. In addition, Walden University supports positive social change through the development of principled, knowledgeable, and ethical scholar-practitioners, who are and will become civic and professional role models by advancing the betterment of society.”

Next, read the article “Expanding Our Understanding of Positive Social Change” by Callahan et al. (2012). Think about a specific scenario within your chosen professional role and how it may fit within Walden’s definition of social change.

To Complete this Assignment:

Submit a 4-page paper that discusses a particular aspect of your chosen professional role (CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST) within the context of social change. For example, you might discuss being a counselor who provides pro-bono counseling to abused women or being a sports psychologist who offers visualization training for at-risk youth involved in school sports.

Explain why you chose your particular example and why it is important to include an aspect of social change in both career and personal endeavors. Next, explain the particular web map of social activity that would result from your chosen example. Follow the examples given in the article, with your actual text being at least three paragraphs long. There is no need to create the actual web map diagram. Finally, find one scholarly article from the last 5 to 7 years, and explain how it informs your position.

Note: Support the responses within your Assignment with evidence from the assigned Learning Resources. Provide a reference list for resources you used for this Assignment.

Required Readings

Document: Expanding our understanding of social change: A report from the definition task force of the HLC special emphasis project (PDF).
Callahan, D., Wilson, E., Birdsall, I., Estabrook-Fishinghawk, B., Carson, G., Ford, S., Yob, I. (2012).
Minneapolis, MN: Walden University.

Champagne, F. A., & Mashoodh, R. (2009). Genes in context: Gene-environment interplay and the origins of individual differences in behavior. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 18(3), 127–131.
Note: Retrieved from Walden Library databases.

Roth, T. L., & Sweatt, J. D. (2011). Annual research review: Epigenetic mechanisms and environmental shaping of the brain during sensitive periods of development. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 52(4), 398–408.
Note: Retrieved from Walden Library databases.

Required Media

TED Conferences, LLC (Producer). (2012). Epigenetics makes you unique [Video file]. Retrieved from
Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 18 minutes.

Optional Resources

Santavirta, T., Santavirta, N., Gilman, S. (2018). Association of the World War II Finnish Evacuation of Children With Psychiatric Hospitalization in the Next Generation. JAMA Psychiatry. 2018;75(1):21-27 Retrieved from: