Jamie's Social Work Blog

Ferdinand Tonnies' (1887/1963) Concept of Community: Gemeinschaft (community) Strong identification with community Authority based on tradition Relationships based on emotionalism Others seen as whole persons. Gesellschaft (society) Little identification with community Authority based on laws and rationality Relationships based on goal attainment and emotional neutrality Others seen as role enactors Wellman (1999): Communities are not lost, but transformed, and new forms of community develop.  Four Elements of Community: Contact: Level of interaction Range: Size and heterogeneity Intimacy: Sense of relationships as special: desire for companionship: interest in being together in multiple social contexts over time; sense of mutuality in relationships; needs supported Kinship/Friendship: Proportion of community membership composed of immediate kin Spatial Arrangements Approach on Communities: On research team studied that spatial arrangements i...