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Liberation Social Psychology (la psicología social de la liberación, LSP) has developed amongst a body of psychologists in Latin America over the last decade. There has been no survey of the field in English, although some of the ideas are of relevance for those working with oppressed groups elsewhere in the world. This article explores the context in which LSP grew from the work of Ignacio Martín-Baró and was developed by Maritza Montero, amongst others. Within LSP, key concepts emerge, including 'conscientization', 'realismo-crítico', 'de-ideologization', a social orientation, 'the preferential option for the oppressed majorities' and methodological eclecticism. The application of LSP is explored with reference to three domains. First, it is suggested that community social psychology as practised in some parts of Latin America reflects LSP in its emphasis on social transformation and participatory methods. Second, psycho-social work with victims of state oppression, which adopts a highly social and societal orientation embodies LSP. Third, social analyses which explicitly adopt socio-psychological-political analyses of the social realities confronting countries in Latin America embrace, in different ways, principles and concepts of LSP. RESUMENLiberation Social Psychology (la psicología social de la liberación, LSP) ha sido desarrollado por un movimiento de psicólogos en América Latina durante la última década. No existe un estudio de este campo en inglés, aunque algunas de sus ideas tienen relevancia para los que trabajan con grupos oprimidos en otras regiones. Este articulo explora el contexto en que la LSP. creció desde los trabajos de Ignacio Martín-Baró y fue desarrollado por Maritza Montero, entre otros. En la LSP surgen conceptos claves que incluyen conscientización, realismo crítico, desideologización, marco social, opción preferencial por las mayorías oprimidas, y la eclectismo metodológico. La aplicación de la LSP va dirigida a tres áreas. En primer lugar se sugiere que la psicología comunitaria practicada en algunos lugares de América latina refleje la LSP en su énfasis en la transformación social y el uso de métodos participativos. En segundo lugar, el trabajo psicosocial con víctimas de la opresión estatal, enfocado al nivel de la sociedad, es ejemplo paradigmático de la LSP. En tercer lugar, los análisis político-psico-sociales de la realidad de los países latinoamericanos toman en cuenta, de manera diversa, los principios y conceptos de la LSP. Se discuten algunos de los retos que enfrenta la LSP, y se recomienda el diálogo abierto entre la LSP y los psicólogos críticos, comunitarios y sociales aplicados.

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Arts and health researchers might usefully draw from theories of well-being from positive psychology. Both fields are compatible in that they share an interest in human flourishing and understanding of wellness as more than an absence of dysfunction or disease. Further research is needed to ascertain whether the limited results presented here are representative of other populations. What does seem evident is that arts projects have a broad appeal and can be highly inclusive, accommodating participants with diverse needs. More generally the investigation raises questions about the cultural scaffolds that are in place to support eudaimonic well-being across the lifespan, as well as the consequences of restricting such opportunities for individuals and communities.

The current debate around the emergence of participatory approaches in evaluation practice suggests that participatory evaluation may be considered an organizational learning praxis, one which facilitates the development of a holistic process of intentional change. Through critical reflection on how participatory evaluation has been conceptualized, this article offers an overview of some of the contextual challenges encountered when using participatory evaluation to enable the creation of learning environments. Given the pluralistic nature of modern organizations and some contextual constraints, evaluators appear to have largely developed a more instrumental type of learning, which may, paradoxically, result in a significant source of resistance to intentional change. This article proposes a process of capacity building for evaluative research (CBER). This process offers a collaborative way of overcoming unforeseen resistance to intentional change by overcoming the challenges found in the relationship between participatory evaluation and organizational learning. The article concludes by suggesting some epistemological and organizational issues that evaluators should take into account when enabling the implementation of a process of CBER in pluralistic organizations.

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