Understanding Community

30 Questions

What did Cohen find in the 1985 social science literature?

90 different definitions of community

Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a memory associated with the word 'community'?

Business conferences and trade shows

Why is the concept of community considered elusive?

Because of its multidimensionality

What is a nonplace community, as mentioned in the text?

An amorphous type of community based on identity, profession, religion, ideology, and interests

According to the text, what are the four types of residents based on their length of stay in a community?

Drifters, Settlers, Relocators, Natives

How are place and nonplace communities differentiated in the text?

Place communities are based on physical proximity, while nonplace communities are based on social identity

What is the focus of attention for locational communities as per the text?

Physical and social environment surrounding providers and consumers of services

According to the British Columbia Ministry of Children and Family Development (2003), how is community defined?

People living in a geographically defined area with social and psychological ties

What distinguishes a community from a neighborhood, based on the given information?

Community implies social ties and shared identity, while neighborhood refers to a place with face-to-face relationships

What are the characteristics of a competent community according to social workers?

A commitment to members, self-awareness, open communication, wide participation, and a sense of empowerment

What type of information does the U.S. Census Bureau collect and distribute about the U.S. people and their activities?

Information about the characteristics of the U.S. people, births, deaths, homeownership, and more.

What type of information is available at the local municipal or county planning department and local libraries?

Information about the average income and educational levels of people in different local areas

What can comparisons across census tracts and municipalities help in examining?

Comparisons of community changes over time

What is the smallest spatial unit at the local level for which the Census Bureau disaggregates information?

Census tract

Which department usually has access to census tract information that reveals a good deal about the composition and character of the local community?

Municipal or county planning department

What are the five critical locality-relevant social functions mentioned in the text?

Production, Distribution, Consumption, Socialization, Social Participation

According to Warren's conception of community, what is the organization of social activities for?

Daily local access to necessary resources

What distinguishes a community from a centrally organized organization?

Common goal and centralized authority

What are the four types of entities and institutional structures that interact and influence each other in a community?

Formal organizations, Informal organizations, Groups, Networks

What is essential to understanding the community's social functions and changes?

Common needs and interdependencies

According to Wellman’s analysis, what characterizes the communities in the Western, largely urban world?

Narrow and specialized relationships

What has replaced public sociability in the new type of world of communities according to Wellman's analysis?

Private and virtual intimacy

What has become more women-centered, despite community power becoming less so, based on the analysis of communities?

Communities

What supports globalized communities according to the text?

Cyberspace

According to Berger (1998), what kind of commitments do people have to a variety of diverse collectivities?

Limited, partial, segmented, even shallow, commitments

What is one of the criticisms of virtual communities?

They are less cohesive and homogeneous than physical communities

What is one of the functions provided by Internet support groups, as per the text?

Reducing social isolation in virtual communities

What do proponents of virtual communities hearken back to, according to the text?

The notion of freedom from multiple associations and authorities

What does William A. Galston argue about virtual communities in the text?

They do not meet the conception of community by fulfilling its varied functions

What is a characteristic of virtual communities as compared to physical communities?

Limitation in information about other members

Study Notes

Bellah et al. (1985) define community as a socially interdependent group with shared practices and decision-making.
Cohen (1985) sees community as a system of values, norms, and moral codes that provoke a sense of identity.
British Columbia Ministry of Children and Family Development (2003) defines community as people living in a geographically defined area with social and psychological ties.
Berry (1996) argues that community has no economically beneficial value, but we argue for its consummate value.
Fellin (2001) defines communities as social units with spatial, interactional, and symbolic dimensions.
We also consider horizontal and vertical community linkages and institutional interactions.
Community concepts include geographic area, social interaction, common ties, and shared sentiments.
Communities are places of rich social and personal lives, shaping our thoughts, actions, values, and norms.
Social workers focus on communities as objects of intervention and aim to build competent communities.
A competent community has a commitment to its members, self-awareness, open communication, wide participation, and a sense of empowerment.
Community and neighborhood are sometimes used interchangeably, but community implies social ties and shared identity, while neighborhood refers to a place with face-to-face relationships.
Fellin (1995, 2001) provides in-depth discussions on community and neighborhood definitions.
Community and grassroots have social currency in politics and ideologies, representing a bottom-up approach focusing on the people in a community.
The community is viewed as a social system with interconnected subsystems that perform essential functions for its members.
A community as a system is different from a centrally organized organization due to the lack of a common goal and centralized authority.
A U.S. community has various subsystems with limited or no central control, such as the nonprofit, economic, underground economy, and illegitimate sectors.
Communities evolve through common needs, interdependencies, and sentimental bonds, and are made up of social units and systems that perform locality-relevant functions.
Warren's conception of community defines it as the organization of social activities for daily local access to necessary resources.
A community can be analyzed based on its autonomy, coinciding service areas, psychological identification, and relationship strengths.
Five critical locality-relevant social functions are production-distribution-consumption, socialization, social control, social participation, and mutual support.
Social functions can be fulfilled through formal or informal organizations, groups, and networks.
Entities and institutional structures interact and influence each other, with each component necessary for the system to function.
Vertical integration, reciprocity, and social exclusion are essential concepts to understanding the community's social functions and changes.

Explore the concept of community and its various dimensions, from physical spaces to relationships and organizations. Reflect on the influence of community in different aspects of our lives.

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