Sense of Community
Rhonda F. Vinson
College of Coastal Georgia
Sense of Community
Sarason defines community as “… readily available, mutually supportive network of relationships on which one could depend” (as citied in Kloos et al., 2012, p.176). He attached the word community to families, friends, neighbors, localities, and professional organizations (Kloos et al., 2012). Community can be used for multiple levels of the ecological system from microsystems to macrosystems.
McMillan & Chavis (1986) defined sense of community (as citied in Kloos et al., 2012 p.179) “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.” McMillan and Chavis named four elements of the Psychological Sense of Community: membership, influence, integration of fulfillment of needs, and shared emotional connection. It is stated by them that all four of these elements must be present in order to define sense of community (Kloos et al., 2012). McMillan also argues that actions of sense of community can not be separated (personal communication, August 25, 2003 as citied in Kloos et al., 2012).
The first element is membership and that is when an individual feels that they belong to a community and that they have spent time within this community. Membership also has five parts to it. The first being boundaries, which establish the parameters between members and nonmembers. Locality includes the geographical boundaries and relational community consists of personal similarities and/or shared goals. Common symbols are used to mark boundaries, for example College of Coastal Georgia has the mariner as our mascot to represent our college. In a community that has well defined boundaries their members should experience emotional safety. McMillan (1996) defines emotional safety as “the sense that requires mutual processes of self-disclosure and group acceptance”(as citied in Kloos et al., 2012, p.181). Once a member has that sense of safety then they will feel like they belong and can identify with their community. That member will also make commitments to their community once they feel safe. They may do this by volunteer or devote their time to other organizations within the community.
The second element is influence and it can refer to the ebb and flow of one group to another, which causes change in the dynamic. McMillan and Chavis (1986) founded the theory of influence of literature in social psychology (citied in Kloos et al., 2012). The third element is integration and fulfillment of needs. Integration and fulfillment of needs has two parts: shared values and exchange of resources. Member area active in their community because can share the values within the involvement they have in their community, their needs are met in the community, and they are able to exchange resources with other members of the community.
McMillan and Chavis (1986) thought of the fourth element, shared emotional connection, as “defined element for true community” and that it involves a “spiritual bond” (as citied in Kloos et al., 2012, p. 182). Members of their community share history, dramatic moments, celebrations, and rituals together. Therefore, members actually become emotional attached to other members of their community.
When thinking of McMillan and Chavis’ four dimensions of sense of community and how it relates to my life I have thought of numerous communities that I have been a part of. As a child I was placed into foster care and I was placed into Safe Harbor Children’s Shelter. That shelter became a community for me. The common symbol for this facility was a life preserver with the ocean and a sailboat inside. Even today when I see that symbol it reminds me of home. I was a member of that community due to placement from the State of Georgia. The locality of this community was in Brunswick, Georgia on Gloucester Street. I did experience a sense of belonging and emotional safety in this community. I knew that the director, teachers, and counselors at Safe Harbor were there to provide resources, values, and also provide the necessities for me. To this day I still feel that I identify with this community. I currently volunteer for Safe Harbor and help them with their “Street Beat” program. There is definitely a shared emotional connection with this community for me. I had birthdays, holidays, sad days, happy days, etc. while in this community.