What is community?

The word "community" is derived from the Old French communit which is
derived from the Latin communitas (cum, "with/together" + munus, "gift"), a
broad term for fellowship or organized society.
All Human achievements are first thoughts before they become things. So the
creations of communities such as cities, governments, armies, as well as
communal achievements such as conquests and discoveries everything that
goes to make a community must spring from a community's thoughts.
So, a community can be defined as:
A community is that group of people sharing a common understanding [a
communal understanding] who reveal themselves by using the same language,
manners, customs and law, which is their tradition.
This definition of community can be understood by following terms:
Communal Understanding:

Communal understanding is that single understanding allowed by the set of

values common to each member of a community.
For example: it is this influence that decided one community to persecute the
scientist Galileo and suppress his notions, while another community to honour
the scientist Isaac Newton and embrace his notions.
It controls the community. Communal Understanding exists, as it is
expressed, in the unique language of the citizens, who mould it by their
conversation.
Conversation:

Conversation is the daily expression and exchange of individual opinions or a

mechanism that refines communal understanding by promoting popular, while
suppressing unpopular, notions/ideas. That is, all those ideas which match
common feelings of right and wrong, will be repeated and magnified into
reasons to act, while those which receive little or no support will inevitably be
ignored; which makes conversation the ideas filter, or the mind, of the
community.

A Communal Mind:

A communal mind is similar in operation to an individual mind, except that

audible conversation replaces silent thoughts; but the mechanism of
understanding is the sameideas, expressed in words, which are filtered by a
code of values to determine which should become reasons for action.

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In other word, we can say that; community is:
Community is a social group of any size whose members reside in a specific
locality, share government, and often have a common cultural and historical
heritage.
Community can also be defined as:
A community is a group of people who form relationships over time by
interacting regularly around shared experiences, which are of interest to all of
them for varying individual reasons.
According to Anthony Cohen, what is community?
Anthony Cohen has a different idea of what community is. According to Cohen,
when we use the word community, what we are doing is establishing a symbolic
boundary around a class of people. That is, we are using language to mark a
difference between people inside and those outside the community.
He suggests the word is loosely used to imply that community is:
A group or category of people, who have something in common with each other,
which distinguishes them in a significant way from other groups
Community implies those inside are similar to each other and different from
others. It creates a bond between some people and excludes others. Thus
community implies and creates a boundary between us and them, inside group
and outside group.
This boundary is marked in symbolic ways. There are many types of symbol
which mark the boundaries of community - flags, badges, dances, languages and
so on. One type of symbol which mark the boundaries are words - words like
freedom, democracy, brotherhood. These are always "Hurrah" words, as opposed
to "Boo" words - tyranny, barbarian, savage.
Community is one such boundary marking symbol. As a symbol it is held in
common by all the members, but its meaning might vary with each members
unique understanding of it.
According to Cohen, people construct community symbolically, making
community a resource and a repository of meaning, and a point of reference for
their social identity.
The questions are?
1. "What makes up a community?
The more complex answer is that it depends on the community and the issues
involved. In general, a sustainable community is a geographic area and
includes everything in that area--human and nonhuman, animal, vegetable,
and mineral.

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In some cases, political boundaries such as town, city or county limits might be
most useful in delineating a community. In other cases, watersheds or other
natural boundaries might be most useful.
In make up community important is that the members of the community be
involved in deciding the boundaries of their community and how to make that
community a sustainable community.
2. "How big is a community?
The simple answer is: community is as big as it needs to be."
Types of Community:
A number of ways to categorize types of community have been proposed; one
such breakdown is:
Local Community:

Local community also known as Geographic community that is range from the
local neighbourhood, suburb, village, town or city, region, nation or even the
planet as a whole. These refer to communities of location.
It can be defined as: Local community is a geographically defined community of
place, a group of people living close to each other.

Community Development:

The process of increasing the strength and effectiveness of communities,

improving peoples quality of life, and enabling people to participate in decision
making and to achieve greater long-term control over their lives.

Community development aims to [1] empower and help communities to improve

their social and physical environments, [2] increase equity and social justice, [3]
overcome social exclusion, [4] build social capital and capacities, and [5] involve
communities in the strategic, assessment, and decision-making processes that
influence their local conditions.

Community Service:

Community service is the active participation in and assumption of responsibility

for your community. This intentionally broad definition includes any role you
may take in a local sports team, alumni group, church, political campaign, or any
other group that you define as your community, so long as your role is active
and that it shows responsibility, the two operative phrases of the definition.

Another, it can be defined as: Community service is something that you volunteer
your valuable time and energy to support, promote, and impact.

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What is not community service? Anything you do that is neither active nor
shows responsibility or concern for your community wont pass the bill as
community service.

Community Rehabilitation:

Community rehabilitation is a type of community that seeks to equip, empower

and provide education and training for rehabilitation clients, carers, family,
community members and the community sector to take on appropriate roles in the
delivery of health and rehabilitation services to achieve enhanced and sustainable
client outcomes.

Communities of Culture:

Community culture range from the local clique, sub-culture, ethnic group,
religious, multicultural or pluralistic civilisation, or the global community cultures
of today. They may be included as communities of need or identity, such as
disabled persons, or frail aged people.

Community Organizations:

Community Organization range from informal family or kinship networks, to

more formal incorporated associations, political decision making structures,
economic enterprises, or professional associations at a small, national or
international scale.

Community Psychology:

Community psychology is a broad field of psychological study that examines the

relationships of individuals within a community, the relationships of individuals
to the whole community, and the relationship between a community and society
as a whole. Research in the field of community psychology often turns to several
related fields, such as sociology, social psychology, public policy, and political
science. The general practical aim of community-focused psychology is the
overall increase in the quality of life for those living in a community. In many
cases, this involves identifying and fixing issues that could lead to mental health
problems in a community.

Community psychologists tend to strive toward several different goals for the
communities they study and help. Such as: [1]Empowerment is extremely
important; individuals need to feel empowered to be effective members of the
community and communities that were marginalized in the past need to be
empowered to take a stronger place in society. [2]Social justice is also highly
important as all members of the community, as well as the community as a whole,
need to be respected as members of society, deserving of all rights that come with

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 that role. [3]Diversity naturally stems from these; no just and empowered society
should have any prejudice against different kinds of people.

Communities are nested; one community can contain anotherfor example a geographic
community may contain a number of ethnic communities.

Application/Scope of Community Psychology in World Wide and Special

Reference of Pakistan:

Scope of Community Psychology in World:

Application of community psychology to homeless in Chicago:

In Chicagos Health Department is to develop ways to decrease teenage drug use.

Approaching the issue of teenage drug use from Gerald Caplan's prevention
perspective will bring about the new and innovative results needed to effectively
address this issue. Gerald Caplan (1964) is known as the individual who used the
term prevention as a specific program in the mental health lexicon. According to
Caplan, there are three distinct types of prevention; primary, secondary and tertiary.

1. The first type of prevention is to stop the problem before it becomes a

problem. At the primary level intervention is given to entire populations when
they are not in need or distress. If an individual is currently a victim of drug
abuse the Health Department may want to establish a program in which
medical and drug rehabilitation communitys facilities are readily available
within Chicago.
2. Drug use among teenagers Chicago is a serious and complicated issue that
would be impossible to solve by using one single method. Another way to
look at primary prevention is to consider it intervention given to all people in a
particular setting regardless of the need for the intervention.
3. The next type; examining all of the factors that must be addressed with all
(1st and 2nd) types of prevention,

Since the main concern of the Health Department is teenager, in chicago, a community
psychologist using the primary prevention model would want to lower the rate of new
drug use by educating a population of non-user.

Creation of new forms of social relations (new social settings)

Facilitating the bringing together of people with common interests, and their allies, and
helping them connect with others for greater power to change. For example self-advocacy
groups, linking these to other local civil rights organizations, transport, lobby groups, and
neighborhoods group. Developing new projects which seek to include people with
learning difficulties and other people, such as resident' associations, park users' groups,
walking or fitness groups, arts projects.

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 University of Illinois:

The University of Illinois provides a comprehensive psychology program which ranges

from the study of behavior in individuals to the study of biological and social
mechanisms. The intention of the program is to encourage the advancement of
knowledge to facilitate a better understanding of human behavior in order to solve
societal problems. The University offers courses with concentrations in biological
psychology, clinical psychology, cognitive neuroscience, aging, developmental
psychology, engineering and community psychologies both undergraduate and graduate.
Mostly, the book which is referring to student at university of Illinois is Community
Psychology: Guiding Principles and Orienting Concepts.

Development of alliance and counter systems

Working to develop alliances that will challenge the status quo, build a counter system
and form part of wider emancipator social movements. For example, facilitating links
between user groups and local women's groups; combining pressure for better continence
services with environmental campaigns around personal hygiene products; enabling
people with learning difficulties to make links with other groups of marginalized people
through the internet; linking with local campaigns and information projects around
unemployment and contributing to national and international movements on labor
conditions.

Application of Community Psychology in Canada and Australia:

Wilfrid Laurier University of Canada:

GEOFFREY NELSON is Professor of Psychology and faculty member in the Community

Psychology programme at Wilfrid Laurier University, Canada. He served as the senior editor
of the Canadian Journal of Community Mental Health and is the author of three other books
related to community psychology.

Community Psychology in Australia and Canada:

ISAAC PRILLELTENSKY is directed the Ph.D. programme in Community Research and

Action at Vanderbilt University and has also taught community psychology in Australia and
Canada. He is the author or co-editor of four other books related to community psychology.

Cornell University in New York:

Cornell University is a private university located in Ithaca, New York, USA, that is a
member of the Ivy League. In Cornell university of New York, courses related to
psychology such as community psychology, forensic, counseling and clinical psychology
offers both graduate and master students.

Abraham Wandersman earned his Ph.D. from Cornell University in New York City in
1976 and is currently a professor as a community psychologist at the University of South

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Carolina. Dr. Wandersmans areas of interest include community psychology, program
evaluation, environmental and ecological psychology, citizen participation, community
coalitions, and program evaluation.

Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania:

In Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, Jim Dalton is professor of Psychology and

is in charge of the undergraduate curriculum clearinghouse for community psychology
for the Society for Research in Community Psychology.

Algoma University in Ontario:

Algoma University, Ontario Surrounded by the rich, natural beauty of Northern Ontario,
in Sault Ste. Algoma University is a diverse community of over 1200 students, offering
more than 30 academic degree programs taught by internationally known experts in fields
such as Business, Community Psychology, Economics, Biology, History, & Computer
Science. Algoma University has more than 40 years experience in offering undergraduate
liberal arts and science programs, and now offers an internationally recognized and
respected Masters degree in the burgeoning field of computer games technology.

Scope of community psychology in Bangladesh:

Psychology originated in Bangladesh as an academic discipline. Presently, psychology

with its related fields[Clinical Psychology, Organizational Psychology, Educational Psychology,
Counseling and Community Psychology, Environmental Psychology] taught at the undergraduate,
graduate and postgraduate levels in several universities in Bangladesh. In addition to
universities, psychology is being taught at the Masters degree and Bachelor (Honors)
degree levels in many colleges of the Bangladesh National University.

University of Dhaka:

In 1965, an independent Department of Psychology was established in the University of

Dhaka. In recent years, As an independent academic discipline, the Department of
Psychology started offering only some basic psychology courses at the under-graduate
and post-graduate levels. However, with the passage of time, the Department of
Psychology is now offering several applied psychology courses, such as Clinical
Psychology, Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Educational Psychology,
Counseling and Community Psychology, Environmental Psychology, Psychology and
National Development, and Eastern Psychology. Presently, the Department offers under-
graduate, and post-graduate programmes including M. Phil. and Ph. D.

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Application of Community Psychology in Pakistan:

Application of community service in university of Karachi:

In university of Karachi,

Dr Seema Munaf, PhD in Clinical Psychology is working as a Professor at the Institute

of Clinical Psychology. She conducted innumerable researches which were published
in the journals of International repute.

Dr Seema Munaf has played a major role in origins of

community service in university of Karachi. From time to
time, she served as referee and reviewed various research
papers of Pakistan Journal of Psychology, Pakistan Journal
of Professional Psychology.

She also rendered her services as Subject Expert in

Selection Boards, Affiliation Committees and Syllabus
Revision Committee and by virtue of the member
Academic Council, University of Karachi was nominated as
member Board of Governors of different Institutes
affiliated to the University. She also offer her services and
professional affiliation is with number of literary bodies
such as *American Psychological Association * Pakistan
Psychological Association *Pakistan Association of Clinical
Psychologists *Pakistan Federation of University Women *
Teachers Resource Centre 1987-88 and *Society for the
Rehabilitation of the Emotionally Handicapped. Recently
she has been appointed as member of the Prime Ministers
National Task Force for Psychosocial Relief to Earth Quack.

Islamia University of Bahavalpur:

In Islamia university of Bahavalpur Pakistan; the subject

of community psychology is being offered to the student of
M.Phil, MSC and Bachelor (honors).

Community Psychology in University of

Gujrat:

In university of gujrat, recently, community psychology

offer as a subject to MSC and student of bachelor
[honors].

In Pakistan, currently community psychology is just

studying in universities level and with the passage of time,
like other fields of psychology [i-e clinical psychology,
counseling, developmental psychology, organizational

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psychology, forensic psychology and many more] community
psychology will also be introduce in all other different
fields and in future, it will have a bright scope. In simply
we can say that community psychology is in the way
of progress.