Six Models of Community Intervention: A Dialectical Synthesis of Social Theory and Social Action

Two dominant theoretical perspectives-systems theory and conflict theory-underlie major approaches to community intervention. This paper presents a conceptual linkage between models of intervention for planning and organizing as developed by Rothman and elaborated by Stockdale and major sociological theories of society. Two additional models are presented to address issues of management and administration. The six models are integrated into a typology which integrates the conflict and consensus theories of society in relation to the six strategies. The result is a synthesis of six models for community engagement which is rooted in dialectically opposed theories of society, and which addresses the major functions of any system or organization—planning, organizing/implementation, and management