The Importance of Community

The Power of Community & Connectedness. 

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Community is defined by “a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in common”. “ it is a feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests and goals''(McMillan & Chavis, 1986). It is a support system for an individual which can help them strive and attain the best versions of themselves.

 We have all learned early on in school that community and family are essential for our societies. Most people are familiar with Maslow's hierarchy of needs. At the base of the pyramid, we have our physiological needs such as the need of water, food , warmth, and rest. Following this level there are safety needs , security, a place to call home. After you have accomplished this level of need you can harness a sense of belonging and love- which can be found in an intimate relationship, in community , in friendships, and in sisterhoods/brotherhoods. After these needs are filled, there is the level called feelings of self accomplishment. Then finally the top-level being self-actualization, achieving one's full potential and self fulfilment. Ultimately, as humans we all want to achieve the level of self-actualization to experience abundant happiness. For this to happen it is suggested that we must accomplish the needs of every lower level (Poston, 2009). 

 The need for a sense of belonging plays an essential and very big role in our own potential and wellbeing. Research has now branched out from sociology and started to look at the neurobiological and psychological effects of community- why is it so essential and how it can enhance your wellbeing.  

Along with Maslow’s pyramid, many other research has shown the benefits and importance of having a sense of connectedness and community around you :

  1.  A study done, showed that those who had a strong sense of social connectedness had a high life expectancy rate. The act of productive engagement with others predicted longevity among populations. Relationships with friends were beneficial to survival and living longer (Giles, 2012).

  2. Individuals who have integrated social supports are generally less depressed and experience increased wellbeing. Social supports are very important especially within the elderly population where feelings of loneliness can unfortunately lead to depression (Giles, 2012).

  3. A study done in the elderly population shows that social connectedness can be protective toward cognitive decline. The more social support a person has, the less vulnerable they are to progressive cognitive decline and risk of Alzheimer (Haslam, Cruwys, Haslam, & Jetten, 2015).

  4. Having a strong community and feeling as if you connect to those around you has been shown to Increase feelings of wellbeing. Making people report that they feel happier and healthier(García-Moya, Brooks, Morgan, & Moreno, 2015).

  5. Social connectedness especially during developmental stages can promote resilience to mental illness (Ozbay et al., 2007).

  6. Social connectedness can increase levels of oxytocin which can contribute to feelings of being loved and appreciated (ZAK, KURZBAN, & MATZNER, 2004).

  7. Having a community can reduce vulnerability to negative psychological outcomes. Reduced amygdala function which translates to reduced feelings of fear and anger (Inagaki et al., 2016).

  8. Social connectedness is a protective factor when experiencing trauma. This study looked at the impact of connection to community when healing from trauma and found the community connectedness can urge the effect of trauma and implication for intervention. Overall, a sense of strong community has the potential to be effective in reducing the impact of trauma (Inagaki et al., 2016).

  9. Connectedness can increase health promoting behaviours such as a healthier diet, increase physical activity, developing stress coping mechanisms and feelings of worthiness (Carter, McGee, Taylor, & Williams, 2007).

  10. Community and shared identity can increase bonding and promote well-being especially when experiencing stressful situations. Research suggests that a sense of community can promote residence and places value on social connections (Murray & Zautra, 2012)

  11. Community connectedness can act as a protective factor and reduce the risk of suicidal behaviours from those who have faced discrimination and stigma. This research looked at LGBTQ+ individuals (Kaniuka et al., 2019) (Jackson, 2017).

  12. A study done on healing circles and the use of community reflected that these practices showed an improvement in reported stress symptoms and an overall increase in quality of life (Madrona, 2014)

  13. There are many different forms of community, one of them being peer support. There is a wide variety of research done on the effectiveness of peer support. A study looked at the benefits of healing circles and peer support programs and showed those who participated have improved self-management techniques and better coping mechanisms (Sakakibara et al., 2019).

Overall, community is evidently very important and can play an essential role in one’s well-being. Having a strong support system can benefit your everyday life and enhance your feelings of happiness. Whether the support be physical or virtual, you are not alone on your journey through life. There are always people who are willing to support you, you just have to be willing to reach out and create that community. Healing and going through the adventures of life are better when you are held by loving beings who accept you for who you are. 

This is the exact environment we have created here at Jothi Creative Wellness and within HERspace. A safe, magical, and powerful healing space for everyone. HERspace creates a community for womxn who are ready and willing to hold you in your light and support you through your journey. A community and a support system to enhance the incredible being you already are. 

References

Carter, M., McGee, R., Taylor, B., & Williams, S. (2007). Health outcomes in adolescence:                                              Associations with family, friends and school engagement. Journal of Adolescence, 30(1), 51–62. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2005.04.002

García-Moya, I., Brooks, F., Morgan, A., & Moreno, C. (2015). Subjective well-being in adolescence and teacher connectedness: A health asset analysis. Health Education Journal, 74(6), 641–654. https://doi.org/10.1177/0017896914555039

Giles, L. C., Anstey, K. J., Walker, R. B., Luszcz, M. A. (2012). Social networks and memory  over 15 years of follow-up in a cohort of older Australians: Results from the Australian Longitudinal Study of Ageing. Journal of Aging Research, Article ID 856048, 1–7.

Haslam, C., Cruwys, T., Haslam, S. A., & Jetten, J. (2015). Social Connectedness and Health. In Encyclopedia of Geropsychology (pp. 1–10). Singapore: Springer Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-287-080-3_46-1

Inagaki, T. K., Bryne Haltom, K. E., Suzuki, S., Jevtic, I., Hornstein, E., Bower, J. E., & Eisenberger, N. I. (2016). The Neurobiology of Giving Versus Receiving Support. Psychosomatic Medicine, 78(4), 443–453. https://doi.org/10.1097/PSY.0000000000000302

Jackson, S. D. (2017). “Connection is the antidote”: Psychological distress, emotional processing, and virtual community building among LGBTQ students after the Orlando shooting. Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, 4(2), 160–168. https://doi.org/10.1037/sgd0000229

Kaniuka, A., Pugh, K. C., Jordan, M., Brooks, B., Dodd, J., Mann, A. K., … Hirsch, J. K. (2019). Stigma and suicide risk among the LGBTQ population: Are anxiety and depression to blame and can connectedness to the LGBTQ community help? Journal of Gay & Lesbian Mental Health, 23(2), 205–220. https://doi.org/10.1080/19359705.2018.1560385

Madrona, L. (2014). Introducing Healing Circles and Talking Circles into Primary Care. The Permanente Journal, 18(2), 4–9. https://doi.org/10.7812/TPP/13-104

McMillan, D. W., & Chavis, D. M. (1986). Sense of community: A definition and theory. Journal of Community Psychology, 14(1), 6–23. https://doi.org/10.1002/1520-6629(198601)14:1<6::AID-JCOP2290140103>3.0.CO;2-I

Murray, K., & Zautra, A. (2012). Community Resilience: Fostering Recovery, Sustainability, and Growth. In The Social Ecology of Resilience (pp. 337–345). New York, NY: Springer New York. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-0586-3_26

Ozbay, F., Johnson, D. C., Dimoulas, E., Morgan, C. A., Charney, D., & Southwick, S. (2007). Social support and resilience to stress: from neurobiology to clinical practice. Psychiatry (Edgmont (Pa. : Township)), 4(5), 35–40.

Poston, B. (2009). Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. The surgical technologist, 41(8), 347-353.

Sakakibara, B. M., Chakrabarti, S., Krahn, A., Mackay, M. H., Sedlak, T., Singer, J., … Lear, S. A. (2019). Delivery of Peer Support Through a Self-Management mHealth Intervention (Healing Circles) in Patients With Cardiovascular Disease: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial. JMIR Research Protocols, 8(1), e12322. https://doi.org/10.2196/12322

ZAK, P. J., KURZBAN, R., & MATZNER, W. T. (2004). The Neurobiology of Trust. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1032(1), 224–227. https://doi.org/10.1196/annals.1314.025

WRITTEN BY ANJAL. P.

Urvashi Anjali Prajapati