CHAPTER TENDEFINITIONS AND TYPES OF COMMUNITIES

The Practice of Generalist Social Work (2nd ed.)

Key Ideas

There are several types of communities that social workers might be involved with in their work.

Communities can be understood through the functions they serve and through various theoretical and other perspectives.

© 2011 Taylor & Francis

Types of Communities

Communities of locality Structures of connectedness based on a

physical location Communities of identity

Groups that share a common interest, concern, identity, and similar sense of belonging

Personal communities A collection of both locality and identity

communities; serve to provide meaning to one’s identity

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Community Functions

Production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services

Transmission of knowledge, social values, customs, and behavior patterns

Social control

Social participation

Mutual support

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Community as a Social System

Systems theory posits that communities as systems:

Are composed of multiple intersecting components that are related to one another

Are part of larger systems Are part of subsystems

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Community as an Ecological System

Community from the ecosystems perspective emphasizes:

The interdependence of people and their environment

The spatial organization of community resources

The relationship of these resources to one another and groups of people

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Community as Center for Power and Conflict

Power Dependency Theory Focused on the dynamics associated with

dependent relationships of communities to their sources of resources

Conflict Theory Community is divided into influential and non-

influential groups that compete for resources Resource Mobilization Theory

To create change, communities must create a collective identity and protest their exclusion from decision-making processes

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Contemporary Perspectives for Community Practice

Strengths, Empowerment, and Resiliency Perspectives Focus on possibilities and assets of individuals

and communities

Postmodern Perspective Examine assumptions about causes of

perceived problems for communities

© 2011 Taylor & Francis