Participatory Research into community psychology within a local context

The aim is to present a series of participatory action research studies focused on town development and inhabitants’ needs. The paper discusses how to construct a field investigation that pays attention to people’s narratives, as well as how to elaborate a substantive theory, which is inductively derived from the study of the phenomenon. The assessment of the trustworthiness of the intervention is also examined. For a better understanding of how to conduct an intervention in a local community, this paper deals with methodological questions concerning triangulation of sources and sampling strategies. Research instruments such as narratives, community profiles, and SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats ) analysis are discussed as regards their use within grounded theory methodologies and participatory action research