The word ‘community,’ and the phrases ‘psychological sense of community, and individual well being’ are not to be glazed over before launching in to this post. For the sake of clarity, I will define these terms in the way they should be interpreted throughout this post.
Community: A group of people (formal and informal) bound by locational criterion (physical or geographical boundaries) and/or relational criterion (social interests-goals, needs, etc.).
Psychological Sense of Community: The search for a definition of psychological sense of community (PSC) will take you back centuries in time. Being neither a history nor a psychology buff, I will use one of the most popular and accepted definitions introduced by McMillan & Chavis (1986):
Sense of Community is a feeling that members have of belonging, a feeling that members matter to one another and to the group, and a shared faith that members' needs will be met through their commitment to be together.
Individual wellbeing: Individual well-being describes mental and emotional wellbeing, which more broadly could be defined as satisfaction. Satisfaction is an inherently personal word. Defining it for the whole would be a fruitless endeavor. So for the purpose of this post, individual satisfaction is just that. What defines your satisfaction, your happiness? Additionally, physical wellbeing (health) is included in this definition.
What does a community offer?
McMillan & Chavis (1986) propose that psychological sense of community can be described by four elements listed below. The attributes of these elements are described only briefly here. For further details on these elements and their attributes, visit this site (http://www.wright-house.com/psychology/sense-of-community.html).
(1) Membership- described by five attributes, which include (a) Boundaries (language, dress, ritual), (b) Emotional safety, (c) A sense of belonging and identification, (d) Personal investment, (e) A common symbol system.
(2) Influence- a bidirectional attribute where members of a group have influence over that group, and simultaneously, group cohesion depends on the group having some influence over its members.
(3) Integration and fulfillment of needs- Needs are described as those things related to survival but also those things that are desired and valued.
(4) Shared emotional connection- Influenced by shared history, McMillan & Chavis (1986) include seven attributes important to shared emotional connections.
How does a psychological sense of community impact an individual’s mental, emotional and physical wellbeing?
Speaking broadly, membership in a community provides an individual with identity, offering them emotional support through common values and needs, and a sense of belonging—providing fulfillment and thereby supporting an individual’s mental and emotional wellbeing.
What of physical wellbeing? While it can be difficult to isolate variables that directly improve or detract from our physical wellbeing, i.e. our health, sense of community has been shown to play a significant role in the health outcomes in a variety of individuals, groups, and sub groups (Davidson & Cotter, 1991). Social epidemiologists have been studying this trend for decades.
French sociologist Emile Durkheim conducted a now classic study in 1897 on the importance of the role that community social forces play in the role of health of the individual. Specifically in his work on suicide, Durkheim noted that suicide rates were dramatically higher among certain groups and communities and that these differences persisted over time even as individuals entered and left those communities.
Research by Scuderi (2005) demonstrated that traditional models of cardiac rehabilitation (focusing on education, diet, and exercise) were less effective than those approaches that integrated a patient’s environmental, social, and spiritual community background.
Scientifically, can we directly link psychological sense of community to mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing/health? Of course not. But what these studies suggest is that in some form, a sense of community can promote mental, emotional, and physical well-being (health). Working backwards then, we could say that mental, emotional, and physical ill-being (sickness) may be eased by a sense of community.
On some level, we have all likely experienced this—if not directly perhaps through a loved one. On a personal level, I witnessed how a 5K run/walk called Race for Hope (proceeds benefit National Brain Tumor Society and Accelerate Brain Cancer Cure) provided a sense of community in which both victims of brain cancer, survivors, and family members could come together to ease each others mental, emotional, and physical sufferings. These types of support groups act as micro-communities and exist for countless mental, emotional, and physical sicknesses (Heart Disease Group, Celiac Disease Group, Crohn’s Disease Group, Lyme Disease Group, American Cancer Society, AIDS Support Group, Drug Addicts Support Group, Sex/Pornography Support Group, Shopping Addiction Support Group, Physical Abuse Support Group, Sexual Abuse Support Group, Emotional Abuse Support Group, Spousal Abuse Support Group, Anxiety Support Group, Panic Support Group, Depression Support Group, etc.)
Boiling it down. How does PSC allow me as an individual to be a satisfied?
Individual trials—be they geographical, mental, emotional, or physical—occur on a daily basis ranging in their severity. Certain events, such as the unexpected loss of a loved one, a natural disaster and other similar events of such weight are never ‘undone’ in our psyche. We learn to accept them and adapt to the way that they change our hearts and minds.
Being part of a community allows us to express and share our emotions in a safe context with people who have similar experiences and can relate positively. It is the community dynamic that facilitates individual adaptation to hardship. A psychological sense of community provides a context within which we can find individual hope, meaning, happiness, and healing in our lives.
A human being is a part of the whole, called by us, "Universe," a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest -- a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty. Nobody is able to achieve this completely, but the striving for such achievement is in itself a part of the liberation and a foundation for inner security. -- Albert Einstein
Davidson, W., & Cotter, P. (1991). The relationship between sense of community and subjective well-being: A first look. Journal of Community Psychology, 18, 246-253.
Durkheim, E. 1951. Suicide: A Study in Sociology. Glencoe, Ill.: Free Press.
McMillan, D., & Chavis, D. (1986). Sense of community: A definition and theory. Journal of Community Psychology, 14, 6-23.
Scuderi, C. S. (2005). The experience of cardiac illness: Illness perceptions and the meaning of good health in Italian-speaking cardiac patients. Paper presented at the Australian Society for Behavioural Health and Medicine Annual Conference, Melbourne, February.
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