ABSTRACT
This chapter explores what makes a community, including definitions, characteristics, and types of communities. It looks at ways social workers conceptualize and make sense of communities as well as ways we can assess and intervene with communities. Social workers often speak of “community” in their work, and it can mean different things to different people, depending on the context in which the word is used. Identificational communities can be thought of as groups of people bound together by similar values, connections, struggles, and shared traditions. Communities can also be formed through shared interests. Interest communities are those in which people are brought together by common goals and interests in causes or activities. Virtual communities are newer types of communities formed through means of electronic communication and platforms. These could include any community developed via the Internet such as email discussion lists, social media sites, and chatrooms.
