Psychological Sense of Community is a theoretical concept that has been central to the study of communities since well before Seymour Sarason first coined the term 1974 and to this day PSOC has been the focus of considerable research and has enormous relevance to the study of communities and the individuals and groups who inhabit them. The symposium will bring together three contributions that will offer the audience the opportunity to reflect and discuss both conceptual aspects of PSOC and practical implications for collective life that derive from the connection/disconnection of PSOC with community diversity and community values.
The first presentation (Anne Brodsky, USA) will address the conceptualization of PSOC, which whether individual or collective; negative, neutral, or positive; singular or multiple; compatible with or antithetical to diversity, is central to the utility of PSOC as an independent and dependent variable in any number of real-life applications. This presentation will set the stage in terms of theory, history, and consequence of the PSOC concept for the empirical studies to follow.
The second presentation (Terri Mannarini with a group of Italian CP researchers) will address basic human values as PSOC determinants. Values play an overarching role in the orientations of individuals, and may also influence the general attitudes towards community and community ties. Moreover, as values are culturally determined and supported by normative environments, the ascertainment of the relationship between values and PSOC can offer significant indications for interventions aimed at promoting community wellbeing. The results of a multi-centric study, which attest different patterns of PSOC-values relationship, will be presented and discussed.
Finally, the third presentation (Isabel Hombrados-Mendieta and Luis Gómez-Jacinto, Spain) will focus on the role of PSOC in the social integration and well-being of immigrants. The degree of interaction and social integration between immigrants and the rest of the community constitute key elements in promoting immigrant health and well-being. Thus, PSOC is of particular relevance as it facilitates relationships, well-being and integration to new contexts. Low levels of a SOC may affect health, because of an absence of people with whom to share daily problems, as this can lead to the development of high stress levels. By contract, a more positive PSOC can promote good mental and physical health through the process of social integration and establishment of positive relationships that mobilize support and shared resources.