Book Chapter

The social dynamics of small communities

Pugh, Richard, Cheers, Brian

2010

Overview

The social dynamics of life in small communities impact upon people's lives, their problems, and their understandings of their difficulties, as well as their views about how these might be best addressed. Social work in rural communities may not be completely distinctive from practice in urban areas, such as housing projects or encapsulated 'urban villages'. However, because small communities are where most rural social work takes place, these social dynamics are likely to be more frequently encountered, which is why workers in rural areas need to develop an awareness of these factors and their potential significance. This chapter describes some of the key factors that operate in small communities, and shows why social workers might need to develop some understanding of gender roles, ideas of belonging and place, gossip, and social visibility and confidentiality. The latter part of the chapter looks at some of the important challenges facing workers who live and work within small communities, and draws on previously published work on dual relationships.

• Publisher: Policy Press
• Subject: Agricultural geography / Agricultural land / Agricultural sciences / Agriculture / Behavioral sciences / Biological sciences / Communications / Communicative content / Communities / Community relations / Family farms / Farmlands / Farms / Gender identity / Gender roles / Gender studies / Gossip / Health and wellness / Health care information privacy / Health policy / Health sciences / Human geography / Human populations / Human societies / Men / Patient confidentiality / Persons / Population studies / Public health / Rural areas / Social dynamics / Social groups / Social sciences / Social welfare / Social work / Sociology
• ISBN: 9781861347213, 1861347219, 1861347200, 9781861347206