Community Flashcards
Sense of community - McMillan and Chavis (1986)
refers to both physical and geographical location and the quality of relationships
Membership - McMillan and Chavis (1986)
sense of belonging achieved from belonging to a group - feel valued, sense of self worth
Membership establishes boundaries (gated communities, graffitti from gangs)
Clear signs of who belongs and who doesn’t (language and clothing)
Some have initiations to join (eg. frats, military)
Influence - McMillan and Chavis (1986)
whilst being attracted to a community where they have influence, must conform for cohesion
More successful when leaders are aware of members opinions and needs vs domination
Integration and fulfilment of needs - McMillan and Chavis (1986)
Membership must be rewarding - status of group
Must be aware of strengths and limitations
Cooperation increases group productivity (Aronson and collegues, 1978)
Shared values, think and feel similarly, can safely be themselves
Shared emotional connection - McMillan and Chavis (1986)
Being connected to another through a common emotional response to a shared activity/event
Both determined by length of time and quality and importance of interactions
Stress
a state of physiological and psychological arousal produced by interal and external stressors - subjective; perception as challenging, exceeding ability/resources to cope
Kobasa (1979) - positive reponses to negative events
Individual personality differences account for different responses to stress
High stress/high illness vs high stress/low illness;
group 2 saw change as a challenge, felt more in control of their lives, sense of direction both in work and personal life
Resilience
capacity to act positively in the face of difficult/frightening circumstances
Capacity for making the most of every opportunity
Deep-rooted faith in system of meaning
Healthy social support network
Wide comfort zone
Gaela (2010) coping mechanisms
Personality and coping mechanisms influence resiliance, as well as genetics
Henry et al., 2013
high prevalence of psychological distress, greater likelihood of psychological disorder incidence amongsth FIFO workers
Post traumatic growth
a positive change experienced as a result of the struggle with a major life crises/traumatic event Develop a sense of new opportunities Closer relationshop with tohers greater sense of ones strength Greater appreciation of life Deepening of spiritual beliefs/changes
Goldstein (2013) PTSD
Building resilience means facing adversity; affected by family, self and environment
Experience trumps genetics - nature vs nurture
Hurrican Choir (2005)
Sentiens, 2006 - assisted hurricane survivors to feel greater support, greater sense of community, lead to increased perceptions of coping and optimistic thinking
successful in reducing the severity of depression, anxiety, PTSD symptoms (Harvey et al., 2007)
Physical symptoms of trauma
disturbed sleep, nightmares, exhaustion, restlessness, headaches
Cognitive symptoms of trauma
poor concentration, disturbances to attention and memory, flashbacks, intrusive thoughts, disorientation
