by Christina Nikitopoulos<\/p>\n
As we go through life, creating who we are and who we want to be, a sense of community is advantageous in empowering us to create the life we want to live. Especially with today\u2019s social media culture, there is more and more emphasis on creating one\u2019s life with satisfaction \u2013 doing things that we\u2019ve always wanted in our lives and not letting opportunities go by.\u00a0 Elkind (1982), discussing Erikson\u2019s stages of identity, states \u201cthe sense of integrity arises from the individual\u2019s ability to look back on his life with satisfaction. At the other extreme is the individual who looks back upon his life as a series of missed opportunities and missed directions; now in the twilight years he realizes that it is too late to start again\u201d (page 17).\u00a0 How do we make sure that we can look back at our lives and feel satisfied, fulfilled with all that we have accomplished?\u00a0 One way is to seek empowerment from a community.<\/p>\n
Fitness communities are a brilliant way for individuals to help find meaning in their lives, to go after goals they might have \u2013 whether it is to run a marathon (and many are doing this through fundraising for hospitals, for example), hiking, yoga, and joining other communities, that will help them fulfill goals.\u00a0 Within these communities, one can find like-minded folks who they can turn to for support \u2013 whether it may be silent or vocal.\u00a0 Knowing others are there for similar (or different) reasons, the goals are ultimately the same, yet can constantly vary.\u00a0 These goals can be regarding health, stress-reduction, a need to find friends, or a new hobby.\u00a0 Pretty, Bishop, Fisher & Sonn (2006) state \u201c\u2026community is often seen as a buffer against the hard challenges people face. Community offers support and identity derived from those nearby or with whom there are meaningful ongoing interactions\u201d (page 3).<\/p>\n
As we begin to develop within a new community, we discover so much about one\u2019s self and who we are within the wider community. \u00a0Are we the same person within and outside of that community?\u00a0 What do we seek from the community and what can we provide?\u00a0 Belger (2012) states \u201cIn thinking about the power of community and the impact of group support, what I have come to understand is that you may not know what has been missing until you discover it, and you can\u2019t imagine the possibilities until they begin to unfold\u2026 Communities can do wonders for people, and these affinity groups don\u2019t need to be formal or structured; they simply need to provide support, ongoing contact, and a sharing of experiences\u201d (page 3).<\/p>\n
How can we \u201cuse\u201d our communities to help us achieve goals, become better versions of ourselves, and look back on our lives with satisfaction?\u00a0 Bronfenbrenner, as discussed in Scott and Wolfe (2015), talks about an individual\u2019s development within the context of the environmental systems (communities) in which the individual is a part.\u00a0 Each of these systems or communities influences the individual\u2019s decisions and behaviors.\u00a0 #UML #commpsych<\/p>\n
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Christina Nikitopoulos\u00a0is a graduate student in the Community Social Psychology department at the University of Massachusetts Lowell.<\/p>\n
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References<\/p>\n
Belger, A.W. (2012). The power of community: CrossFit and the force of human connection<\/em>. Las Vegas: Victory Belt Publishing.<\/p>\n Elkind, D. (1982). Erik Erikson\u2019s Eight Ages of Man<\/em>.\u00a0 SSCBT:\u00a0 Supplemental Teaching Handouts, Module 3.https:\/\/www.pdx.edu\/sites\/www.pdx.edu.ceed\/<\/a>files\/sscbt_EriksonsEightAgesofMan.pdf<\/u><\/p>\n Scott, V.C. & Wolfe, S.M. (2015).\u00a0 Community psychology:\u00a0 Foundations for practice<\/em>.\u00a0 Los Angeles: Sage publications.<\/p>\n Pretty, G., Bishop, B., Fisher, A., & Sonn, C. (2006). Psychological sense of community and its relevance to well-being and everyday life in Australia<\/em>.\u00a0 The Australian Psychological Society, LTD. http:\/\/groups.psychology.org.au\/assets\/files\/community-updated-sept061.pdf<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":448,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/csp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/392"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/csp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/csp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/csp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/448"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/csp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=392"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/csp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/392\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":396,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/csp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/392\/revisions\/396"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/csp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=392"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/csp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=392"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uml.edu\/csp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=392"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}