McMillan, D. W., & Chavis, D. M. (1986). Sense of community: A definition and theory. Journal of Community Psychology, 14(1), 6–23. https://
https://doi.org/10.1002/1520-6629(198601)14:1<6::AID-JCOP2290140103>3.0.CO;2-I
Proposes that a sense of community is a feeling that members have of belonging, a feeling that members matter to one another and to the group, and a shared faith that members' needs will be met through commitment to be together. The authors apply the term community equally to territorial communities (e.g., neighborhoods) and to relational communities (e.g., professional, spiritual). The proposed definition of a sense of community has 4 elements: membership, influence, integration and fulfillment of needs, and shared emotional connection. Subelements of these elements of a sense of community and how they work dynamically together to create and maintain it are described. Hypothetical examples from a university, neighborhood, youth gang, and kibbutz are presented to illustrate the interworkings of the elements of a sense of community. It is suggested that this understanding of sense of community has implications for community treatment programs for the mentally retarded and mentally ill. Where "community" means more than residency outside of an institution, strategies can be introduced to allow the therapeutic benefits of community to be developed within group homes and to provide for better integration with communities surrounding such facilities. (90 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)
