Community Concept: dictionary, sociology and psychology

George Alvarez 05-06-2023
George Alvarez

O community concept in the dictionary does not have just one meaning. In general, it is a social group whose members share common specificities.

These can be historical legacies, cultural movements, type of government In this way, it defines the concept of community related to the social side.

What is the concept of community?

O community concept In addition to having a social conception, it also has different aspects, depending on the context in which it is studied.

In a simpler way, the community is a region inhabited by a group of people that has particularities that are the same among all the people that make it up. That is, there is something there that is of the nature or the preference of all the people.

With this in mind, this community concept Therefore, when we think about community, we understand that it is a collective of individuals who also have joint characteristics and other issues such as:

  • preferences;
  • needs;
  • conditions;
  • beliefs;
  • identities;
  • resources, etc.

In this perspective, we can cite as some examples religious communities, business communities, worker communities, student communities, militant communities, etc. These collectivities have bases or principles that make them part of the same field that defines what unites them.

Types of communities

There are several types of communities, they can be characterized as global, national, regional or social, for example. So, in order to define a type of community, it is necessary to think about the meaning you are trying to understand. In other words, it is necessary to delimit what you want to see as a community.

That said, they are present among the community concept diverse types, such as:

  • group of nations that share the same hemisphere (West or East);
  • group of people of the same sex who share the same biological and historical conditions;
  • grouping of populations that interact and occupy the same area in nature (such as an ant community).

In this view, what characterizes these groups as community types are their kinship in some aspect For this reason, there are numerous categories, which may vary both in aspects related to their country and in matters of common individualities.

Definition of the word community

"Community" is a word that, etymologically, is derived from Latin communitas which means the same thing. Communitas in turn, comes from communis which highlights something that is common, public, and shared by all or many beings.

Thus, the prefix con- (meaning together) combined the suffix munis (Therefore, this terminology makes sense when we start thinking about peculiarities, nature, and joint signs in some population.

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Some human communities

There are various communities among human beings, some are related to genetic factors, others to social factors, as well as geographical, historical, and religious factors. In this way it is possible to know that the whole society is made up of populations that, among themselves, have their communities.

In view of this, as references of communities of human beings, we can cite:

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  • culture communities, which include subcultures, ethnicities and identities;
  • geographical, which refers to neighborhoods, villages, cities, regions;
  • political communities, which correspond to people with a common political interest;
  • organizations, which are linked to networks of professional associations among others.

Moreover, it is known that there are several other types of communities, those that are outside the human field, such as those related to ecology, fauna, flora, etc. Thus, it is understood that the whole world is divided into communities, of human beings or other living beings.

Community Concept in Sociology

Entering the perspective of sociology, the community concept From this angle, in social science studies, community is first of all a collective of people who interact with each other.

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After this first delimitation, in second place comes an interaction, defined within a geographical territory, that is, a space divided by the same group. In third and last place, the individuals defined in the aspects mentioned above close themselves in the sharing of common values, according to sociology.

Community Concept in Psychology

First of all, it is worth mentioning that psychology has a wide range of possibilities in relation to approaches, methods of action, research, etc. When we think about community in psychology, we learn about the work of community psychology.

In this sense, there is a difference between community psychology and the other majorities in the same professional field. What differentiates them is the fact that the first, community psychology, works with the notion of the collective. The second, on the other hand, focuses on isolated individuals.

For this reason, the concept of community in psychology, although it also comes from sociology, has different characteristics. This is because community is seen as a field in which political or social forces act directly in the lives of the subjects that make it up.

The difference between the two concepts of community

Regarding the issues that differentiate both concepts, one can highlight mainly the intention of study, that is, what is the "research" goal of each one.

First of all, while community concept for sociology is seen in a broad way, related to historical and geographical issues as well, for psychology the meaning is different.

For example, community psychology studies community as a context within which people and their relationships function in society. That is, community is understood as a place where individuals share a common space, with common perspectives, identities or causes and struggles.

However, this divided space is studied in order to analyze the quality of life of these people Therefore, for psychology, the community is observed with the intention of establishing a relationship between the issues that make it up.

In this way, community psychology intends to promote autonomy and empowerment in the people who make up a marginalized community, and its principles are linked to procedures for changing the social and emotional problems of that group, in order to bring about a process of self-mastery.

Other important factors are the actions in the field of public health, the anti-mental institution struggle, social justice to populations that are marginalized, etc.

Commonalities of the concept of community for psychology and sociology

In short, it is possible to understand that both concepts have in common the notion of a group of people who share something. For this reason, sociology has opened space for new movements in the concept, movements that vary from study to study.

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George Alvarez

George Alvarez is a renowned psychoanalyst who has been practicing for over 20 years and is highly regarded in the field. He is a sought-after speaker and has conducted numerous workshops and training programs on psychoanalysis for professionals in the mental health industry. George is also an accomplished writer and has authored several books on psychoanalysis that have received critical acclaim. George Alvarez is dedicated to sharing his knowledge and expertise with others and has created a popular blog on Online Training Course in Psychoanalysis that is widely followed by mental health professionals and students around the world. His blog provides a comprehensive training course that covers all aspects of psychoanalysis, from theory to practical applications. George is passionate about helping others and is committed to making a positive difference in the lives of his clients and students.