Chapter 1: Importance of Community

Question 1

Where does the word “community” come from?

Answer 1

The Greek word for “fellowship”

Question 2

What did Emile Durkheim’s research conclude about community?

Answer 2

People who had more connections with their families and community members were less likely to die by suicide.

Question 3

Whose research concluded that people with greater community and family connections were less likely to die by suicide?

Answer 3

Emile Durkheim

Question 4

What did Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett’s study “The Spirit Level” conclude?

Answer 4

Inequality is associated with:
-heightened stress
-status anxiety
-low trust
-low community participation
-decreased happiness

Question 5

True or false: There is no correlation between community integration and health outcomes.

Answer 5

False: people who are more integrated into their communities are less likely to have colds, heart attacks, cancer, and depression.

Question 6

What are some consequences of rapid industrialization and increasing income levels? (3)

Answer 6

-Weakened community control
-More individual freedom
-More loneliness

Question 7

Young people spend increasingly large amounts of time alone. What are some consequences of this social isolation?

Answer 7

Increased rates of:
-depression
-suicide
-stomach upsets
-migraines
-sleep disorders

Question 8

True or false: Community involvement and interpersonal connection make people more likely to value diversity.

Answer 8

True

Question 9

True or false: A lack of social relationships is a minor health risk factor.

Answer 9

False: a lack of social relationships has a similar level of risk to smoking, high blood pressure, and lack of physical activity

Question 10

What are Genuine Progress Indicators?

Answer 10

A set of criteria for measuring individual and collective wellbeing.

Question 11

Canada has 16 Social Determinants of Health; name 8.

Answer 11

-Indigenous ancestry
-Disability
-Early life
-Education
-Employment and working conditions
-Food security
-Gender
-Geography
-Health care services
-Housing
-Immigrant status
-Income and its distribution
-Race
-Social safety net
-Social exclusion
-Unemployment and employment security

Question 12

What term is used to describe this list of factors?
Indigenous ancestry, disability, early life, education, employment and working conditions, food security, gender, geography, health care services, housing, immigrant status, income and its distribution, race, social safety net, social exclusion, unemployment and employment security.

Answer 12

Canadian Social Determinants of Health

Question 13

How many Social Determinants of Health does Canada recognize?

Answer 13

16

Question 14

True or false: Stronger communities typically cost more to run.

Answer 14

False: Strengthening a community can reduce its health and social costs as well as costs associated with “criminal” activity

Question 15

What are 4 national/macro-level trends impacting Canadian communities at the micro level?

Answer 15

-Rural depopulation
-Immigration
-Population movements within Canada
-Demographic changes (Indigenous population growth, population aging)

Question 16

Many Canadians are relocating to new communities in different provinces. What factor can reduce the stress of this experience?

Answer 16

Access to social networks (family, friends, neighbours, coworkers, cultural/religious organizations, etc.) to promote a sense of belonging

Question 17

True or false: Canadians are more connected to their communities than ever before.

Answer 17

False: growing numbers of people do not have or cannot draw on social supports like friends, family, and community organizations

Question 18

Why are fewer people spending time in their communities?

Answer 18

People are spending more time in the workplace, and some people have better access to social supports there than in their community

Question 19

True or false: The relationship between individuals and communities is symbiotic

Answer 19

True: when one is strong (or struggling) the other is likely to be as well

Question 20

What causes a “culture of silence” or “learned helplessness”?

Answer 20

Belief that one has little or no control over their environment

Question 21

What happens when a person feels they have little or no control over their environment?

Answer 21

-Poor self-image
-Hopelessness
-Loss of power
-Culture of silence
-Learned helplessness
-Self-destructive behaviours
-Physical/emotional abuse of others

Question 22

What characteristics do most definitions of community include?

Answer 22

-Social interaction
-Common connection
-Location
-Common interests, beliefs, and behaviours

Question 23

At what levels can cultural communities be found? (5)

Answer 23

-Universal (shared human experience)
-Ecological (climate, wildlife, seasonal changes)
-National (governments, languages, institutions)
-Regional (local groups)
-Racio-ethnic (individuals outside the dominant racial/ethinic group)

Question 24

What are norms?

Answer 24

The rules that separate what is appropriate from what is inappropriate behaviour in a community; they are sometimes codified as laws

Question 25

What are institutions?

Answer 25

Organizations that are significant to a community; they may be formal (ex. religious groups) or informal (ex. families)

Question 26

What are artifacts?

Answer 26

Tangible evidence of a community’s existence which may be shared or private, sacred or secular, physical or intellectual

Question 27

What is social capital?

Answer 27

A community’s social fabric; the networks of relationships among people

Question 28

What is the main belief of social capital theory?

Answer 28

Social networks have value and affect the wellbeing of individuals and communities

Question 29

What are some characteristics of a community with high social capital? (4)

Answer 29

-High levels of trust
-Broad based participation in decisions
-Collective action
-Resource sharing

Question 30

In a First Nations community context, what are the main factors of social capital? (3)

Answer 30

-Bonding (relations within the community)
-Bridging (ties with other communities)
-Linkage (ties to institutions)

Question 31

According to Tonnies, what are the two fundamental types of communities?

Answer 31

-Gemeinschaft (pre-industrial)
-Gesellschaft (industrial)

Question 32

What are Gemeinschaft communities based on?

Answer 32

Reciprocal relationships involving relatively intimate face-to-face dealings with the whole person

Question 33

What are Gesellschaft communities based on?

Answer 33

-Legal/rational notions
-Achievement of individual goals
-Bureaucratized, role-determined interactions

Question 34

What is a boom town?

Answer 34

Small, primarily agriculturally-based communities transformed by rapid development related to some locally-available resource (oil, lumber, coal, etc.)

Question 35

What are some consequences that boom towns face? (6)

Answer 35

-Increased rates of crime
-Depersonalization of services
-Increasingly large, bureaucratized government
-Outsider-controlled economy (large franchises, non-local business owners/investors)
-Family system collapse
-Substance abuse and poor mental health

Question 36

What are the 3 types of communities?

Answer 36

-Geographic
-Function/attribute
-Interest

Question 37

What is a geographic community?

Answer 37

A group of people living in the same physical area

Question 38

What is a function/attribute community?

Answer 38

A group of people who share a common factor (gender, race, religion, socioeconomic status, etc.)

Question 39

What is an interest community?

Answer 39

A group of people who come together to address a common interest or concern (professional associations, trade unions, social action groups, etc.)

Question 40

What are the 5 functions of a community?

Answer 40

-Production, distribution, and consumption
-Socialization
-Social control
-Social participation
-Mutual support

Question 41

What does the production, distribution, and consumption function of a community entail?

Answer 41

Meeting supply and demand for certain basic necessities (food, shelter, clothing, etc.) by locally owned and run businesses or local governance

Question 42

What does the socialization function of a community entail?

Answer 42

Transmitting prevailing knowledge, social values, and behaviour patterns to members

Question 43

What does the social control function of a community entail?

Answer 43

Ensuring conformity to group norms

Question 44

What does the social participation function of a community entail?

Answer 44

Providing opportunities for members to interact with each other and participate in co-operative activities

Question 45

What does the mutual support function of a community entail?

Answer 45

Acting as a bridge between families and bureaucratized services by providing informal assistance (care of the sick, child care, crisis support, etc.)

Question 46

What are intentional communities?

Answer 46

Groups of people who have chosen to live or work together in pursuit of a common goal/vision (social, economic, spiritual, political, or ecological); many share land or housing

Question 47

What are some common themes in intentional communities? (3)

Answer 47

-Living co-operatively
-Solving problems non-violently
-Sharing experiences with other members