Psychology 2012. Vol.3, No.8, 569-577 Published Online August 2012 in SciRes (http://www.SciRP.org/journal/psych) DOI:10.4236/psych.2012.38085 The Role of Affects in Culture-Based Interventions: Implications for Practice Terri Mannarini * , Enrico Ciavolino, Mariangela Nitti, Sergio Salvatore Department of History, Society and Human Studies, University of Salento, Lecce, Italy Email: * terri.mannarini@unisalento.it Received May 5 th , 2012; revised June 7 th , 2012; accepted July 10 th , 2012 The study aimed to show the relevance of two types of sense-making processes (i.e. cognitive and affec- tive) in culture-based interventions. A hierarchical model based on a psychodynamic theoretical frame- work was tested. According to this model, a generalized affective meaning connoting the whole field of participants’ experience would have a regulative, downward, and causal influence on the specific mean- ings related to the issues addressed by the intervention. Secondary analyses—namely PLS Path Modeling with higher order constructs—were performed on a dataset resulting from a survey involving three hun- dred and ninety freshmen enrolled in a psychology course at the University of Salento, Italy. These analyses were aimed at detecting the anticipatory images of the University. Our findings provide evidence supporting the theoretical model proposed. Implications for culture-based interventions are discussed. Keywords: Cultural-Based Intervention; Affective Semiosis; PLS Path Modeling. Introduction In the development of a theoretical framework for psychoso- cial interventions, and the implementation of such interventions, many psychologists have mainly based their proposals on the ecological perspective, which was developed in previous dec- ades by scholars such as Kelly (1966, 1987, 2006). This eco- logical approach has enabled psychologists to address major concerns of the field, such as detecting how social systems influence the life of individuals and communities, and how to change these systems so as to increase people’s well-being (Hirsch, Levine, & Miller, 2007). In striving to overcome the limitations of individual-level theorizing, the ecological model adopts a systemic view, emphasizing the relevance of linkages and interactions among the parts of the system, as well as its dynamic and constantly changing nature. In addressing the individual-environment relationship, a basic tenet of the eco- logical perspective is that “the theory driving the intervention is about the dynamics of the context or system, not the psyche or attributes of the individuals within it” (Hawe, Shiell, & Riley, 2009: p. 269). Within the ecological paradigm, multilevel interventions have recently gained momentum, as illustrated by the 2009 special issue of the American Journal of Community Psychol- ogy, edited by Jean J. Schensul and Edison Trickett. This mul- tilevel concept can be traced back to Bronfenbrenner (1979), who identified four interconnected systems that frame all hu- man transactions and influence human behavior: the microsys- tem, mesosystem, exosystem, and the macrosystem, which together make up the ecosystem. Each of these systems affects a variety of aspects of individual and community life, thereby contributing to the well-being and disease of individuals and groups. From this perspective, the rationale behind multilevel interventions is that changes need to be made both at the level of individuals, and of the social context in which they reside. Nevertheless, among interventions couched in the ecological perspective, there is still considerable variation in empirical results achieved. This variation can be parsed by identifying two broad theoretical categories of interventions: those empha- sizing the impact of changes in the context surrounding the individual (environment-based), and those emphasizing the relevance of sociocultural processes in changing systems (cul- ture-based). An example of environment-based interventions is STEP (the School Transitional Environment Project) (Felner & Adam, 1988; Felner, Favazza, Shim, Brand, Gu, & Noonan, 2001). STEP seeks to facilitate the transition from elementary to junior high school by modifying specific elements of the school context. More specifically, STEP seeks to accomplish the following goals: a) create smaller learning environments and provide a stable set of peers to increase the student’s sense of connected- ness, thereby reducing the degree of complexity that the student entering junior high confronts; and b) restructure the roles of homeroom teachers so that they provide greater support for entering students. Findings from STEP showed that modifica- tions in the school context helped students to cope with transi- tional requirements. Nevertheless, it was acknowledged that such changes were “necessary, but certainly not sufficient, ele- ments to obtain the gains in achievement and performance that were above those levels at which the student entered” (Felner et al., 2001: p. 189). Interventions in the culture-based category are sensitive to the cultural nature of context and emphasize the need for ob- taining local knowledge and community involvement in the whole process of the intervention (i.e., development, imple- mentation, and analysis) (Schensul, 2005), according to a col- laborative and participatory pattern. Interventions of this cate- gory aim to change the system under scrutiny by mobilizing internal resources. Local knowledge, which can be defined as the local culture of individuals and groups, plays a central role * Corresponding author. Copyright © 2012 SciRes. 569