Paul R. Dokecki

Professor of Psychology

Ph.D., George Peabody College, 1968

Research Area

Paul's scholarly interests include the philosophy of science, human science methodology, values and ethics, public policy, early childhood intervention for children with handicaps and their families, community psychology intervention, community development in the context of the church, and spirituality.

Short Biography

During the 1970s, Paul directed the Demonstration and Research Center for Early Education and the Peabody Child Study Center. He was a founding member of the Vanderbilt Institute for Public Policy Studies and served as associate director of the John F. Kennedy Center from 1983-1992. His publications have appeared in a wide variety of journals, including the Journal of Community Psychology, Infants and Young Children, the American Psychologist, the Journal of Early Intervention, Developmental Psychology, and Child Development. His most recent books are: The Tragicomic Professional: Basic Considerations for Ethical Reflective-generative Practice (Duquesne University Press, 1996); Caring & Competent Caregivers (with Moroney, Gates, Haynes, Newbrough, & Nottingham; University of Georgia Press, 1998); and The Clergy Sexual Abuse Crisis: Reform and Renewal in the Catholic Community (Georgetown University Press, 2004).

Learn More about Paul R. Dokecki:

Selected Publications
CV | Media Mentions

Selected Publications

Books

Dokecki, P. R. (1996).The tragicomic professional: Basic considerations for ethical reflective-generative practice. Pittsburgh, PA: Duquesne University Press.

Dokecki, P.R. (2004). The clergy sexual abuse crisis: Reform and renewal in the catholic community. Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press.

Articles in refereed journals

Dokecki, P. R., O'Gorman, R. T., & Newbrough, J. R. (2001). Toward a community-oriented action research framework for spirituality: Community psychological and theological perspectives. Journal of Community Psychology, 29, 497-518.

Trout, J., Dokecki, P. R., Newbrough, J. R., & O'Gorman, R. T. (2003). Action Research on Leadership for Community Development in West Africa and North America: a Joining of Liberation Theology and Community Psychology. Journal of Community Psychology, 31, 129-148.

Jones, D. L. & Dokecki, P. R. (in press). The spiritual dimensions of psychopolitical validity: The case of the clergy sexual abuse crisis. Journal of Community Psychology.

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