How Community Influences Your Behavior

A human mind and body are extremely adaptable to come under the influence of an environment that we live in. Even though each person is different from others, we cannot deny the effects of community influence on behavior of individuals. It is the era where we unknowingly fall into various traps and ignore how society impacts on individual person.

It is high time when people need to be well-aware of what to believe and what is merely a trap. Here, we will discuss how the community influences you in various ways. It has both positive and negative influences and hits each person differently.

What Is A Community?

A group of individuals sharing the same identity, passions, or objectives and possessing a subtle power is known as community. It shows a sense of belonging and optimism.

You shouldn’t have heard someone claim that “community” is something to be avoided or feared. To understand it well, we have listed a few examples of the community below.

Business Community
Religious Community
Social Community
Volunteer Community
Rural Community

We can describe it as a group of people who share the same identity, interests, or goals.

Community Influence On Behavior

It is human nature that each needs to stay with others. We all have a silent fear of being left alone if we do not follow certain practices. The environment in which we live and the people in our surroundings strongly impact us.

Community influence on behavior can be positive or negative at times. Of course, there is always some gray area in anything, and nothing is completely black or white. Community influence on behavior can be positive or negative depending on various factors discussed below.

Positive Impact Of Community

Do you want to know how society impact on individual? The community impacts both positively and negatively on an individual’s life. Here we will discuss how community positively influences behavior.

Strong Identity

It is usual for people who share a common sense of identity to form communities. Ethnic communities share components of their culture and tradition. On the other hand, people can link themselves with other communities according to their interests, such as sports communities, volunteering communities, etc.

Common Goals

Common goals or the pursuit of mutually beneficial outcomes bind some communities together. Some organizations have similar goals, such as accumulating new possessions or profiting from those no longer needed.

Ease In Succeeding

Communities can hold members accountable for certain actions and achieve specific goals. When a person commits to attaining a personal goal, they are less likely to succeed. There will be no one to keep them accountable if they start veering from their goal.

When a person expresses their goals to others in a community, there is a social expectation that they will accomplish them.

Self-determination

A community comforts the members when it comes to speaking their opinions and expressing opinions. Individuals feel encouraged to provide their opinions on a topic. Also, it feels good to be heard when a person is more likely to feel a sense of belonging in their society.

Distribution Of Responsibilities

Strong communities always have defined norms and expectations to influence their members’ behavior. As a result, there will be as little uncertainty as possible about what is and is not acceptable, and misunderstandings will be reduced.

Ensuring Well Being

Positive communities are highly concerned about members’ well-being and respond to issues promptly and sensitively. For community leaders, this involves paying attention to any concerns voiced and taking the appropriate steps to assess risks and undertake additional investigations as needed.

Builds Confidence

When other people in the community have similar goals and ideals, it becomes even more powerful. Seeing them do something makes you believe that your actions will even more closely accord with those ideas than before. It means that communities can have a significant impact on not only how people think but also what they choose to do

Negative Impact Of Community

Have you ever thing how does the community influence you? Along with all the good, a community has several negative influences on human behavior. Have a look at those discussed below.

Discrimination

Those who live in depressed places are more likely to miss out on the beneficial benefits that communities can provide. They are also more prone to be affected by the unfavorable characteristics of their communities. To positively impact inequality, funding should be prioritized in the poorest communities.

Judgment

There can be judgmental conduct toward particular groups of individuals often encouraged by communities in some cases. Individuals within these groups find it difficult to deviate from the norm and communicate their ideas when they know their community would negatively evaluate them.

Builds Pressure

Some people are more sensitive to peer pressure than others for several reasons. Others more easily influence these people because they are more impressionable and weaker. Others may lack a strong sense of self-worth or identity, so they rely on the judgments of their peers to define themselves.

Inhibits Creativity

When everyone in a place has the same point of view, groupthink inhibits originality and creativity. Individuals are also less prone to criticize decisions made by leaders, especially if the entire group backs those judgments.

Social Influences

Communities leave strong social influences on human behavior and somehow reshape a person. Individuals adapt their views and acts to suit the community’s perceived authority demands. It can either be a social role or a minority within a group having power over the majority.

Also, it can be referred to as social influence from a community on individuals. This type of social influence can be bad because it encourages conformity and social proof by doing what everyone else will think rather than thinking for yourself. According to sociology how is human behavior influenced by the community can vary depending on person to person?

Mental Health

A community can positively impact your health by offering moral and emotional support. On the other hand, it can also bring your health down. If you spend enough time with those who don’t care about your emotions and well-being, you’re more likely to experience a crucial aspect of mental health.

Isolation Threat

When it comes to difficulties, community influences might lead to withdrawal or isolation. However, humans cannot thrive or function in solitude; thus, this can be harmful. Working and connecting with others helps reduce stress, impacting mental and physical health.

FAQs

Let’s look at the frequently asked questions about how community influences your behavior.

Is it true that people linked with communities are more courteous and happy?

The community provides patterns of realization, action, socializing, and a platform for them. People react and develop traits based on what they encounter. Certain situations necessitate specific reactions and features from each individual, which we sharpen through operant training.

Other conditions de-emphasize other features, causing us to discard or dismiss them as insignificant and latent. Environmental and social influences heavily influence our personality chemistry.

Are there any advantages to early childhood community involvement?

Early childhood community building becomes the supporting and uplifting foundation of a child’s life. It assists them in discovering more about themselves. It teaches children how to overcome obstacles, gain knowledge, and prosper.

As an individual, what does the community offer you?

A person feels a sense of being in the right place when part of a vibrant community. It allows individuals to connect personally and support each other’s, our own, and our environment’s ongoing progress. On the other hand, you can also feel too low instead of being supported if you feel no freedom to express your true self.

Can there be inequality in members of the same community?

Of course! Inequality is everywhere. Unfortunately, we have to witness discrimination due to various reasons everywhere. The same goes for the members of communities where one person can be given more importance than another due to any reason.

What impact does a healthy community have on you?

A positive community is defined as one in which all individuals get the same treatment as others. On the other side, stress and depression can be linked to unhealthy communities.

Do members of a community have to follow any obligations and policies?

Strong communities usually have defined norms and expectations to influence their members’ behavior. As a result, there will be as little uncertainty as possible about what is and is not acceptable, and misunderstandings will be reduced.

Conclusion

The people who stay with us have a big influence on our well-being. It’s crucial to note that, depending on the situation, social influence can be both helpful and detrimental. If you feel your sense of self is being challenged by what others say or do around you.

It would be best to recognize how your community affects you to make good judgments about who you wish to spend more time with based on their principles. The realization of positive/negative impact will help you be happier and less stressed in your life. CWP

Community Watch Paper posts:

What Influences The Criminal Behavior?

Best Ways To Build Social Sustainability And Its Importanc e In A Community

References