Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Conceptualizing a Community Well-Being and Theory Construct

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Social Factors and Community Well-Being

Part of the book series: SpringerBriefs in Well-Being and Quality of Life Research ((BRIEFSWELLBEING))

Abstract

This chapter focuses on a comprehensive understanding of the concept of community well-being and develops a construct based on several common characteristics. Building on theoretical approaches, this construct helps explain aspects of community well-being. The basic premise of this paper is that community well-being is a comprehensive concept covering other related life and community aspects. The term community well-being encompasses comprehensive and integrated concepts developed by synthesizing research constructs related to residents’ perceptions of the community, residents’ needs fulfillment, observable community conditions, and the social and cultural context of the community. Related terms such as well-being, happiness, and quality of life take on crucial roles in constructing community well-being. The construct presented is inspired by well-established theoretical analysis such as systems theory, bottom-up spillover theory, social capital and needs theory. Community well-being is a relatively new idea in social science, in this modern rendition of its applications. It still lacks the theoretical structure to explain or predict, and the exploration of related theoretical basis is important for fostering understanding of its application and structure. This chapter strives to help develop a construct for promoting further understanding.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
$34.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Assche, J. V., Block, T., & Reynaert, H. (2010). Can community indicators live up to their expectations? The case of the Flemish City monitor for livable and sustainable urban development. Applied Research Quality Life, 5, 341–352.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Choi, H., Lee, M., Im, K. S., & Kim, J. (2007). Contribution to quality of life: A new outcome variable for mobile data service. Journal of the Association for Information Systems, 8(12), 598–618.

    Google Scholar 

  • Christakopoulou, S., Dawson, J., & Gari, A. (2001). The community well-being questionnaire: Theoretical context and initial assessment of its reliability and validity. Social Indicators Research, 56, 321–351.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cummins, R. A. (2000). Objective and subjective quality of life: An interactive model. Social Indicators Research, 52, 55–72.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cummins, R. A., McCabe, M. P., Romeo, Y., Reid, S., & Waters, L. (1997). An initial evaluation of the comprehensive quality of life scale: Intellectual disability. International Journal of Disability, Development and Education, 44(1), 7–19.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cuthill, M. (2004). Community well-being: The ultimate goal of democratic governance. Queensland Planner, 44(2), 8–11.

    Google Scholar 

  • Derrett, R. (2003). Making sense of how festivals demonstrate a community’s sense of place. Event Management, 8, 49–58.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Diener, E. (2000). Sujective well-being: The science of happiness and a proposal for a national index. American psychologist, 55(1), 34–43.

    Google Scholar 

  • Economist Intelligence Unit. (2005). The Economist Intelligence unit’s quality-of-life index. Retrieved December 2, 2012, from http://www.economist.com/media/pdf/QUALITY_OF_LIFE.pdf.

  • Farquhar, M. (1995). Elderly people’s definitions of quality of life. Social Science and Medicine, 41(10), 1439–1446.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Finlay, J., Hardy, M., Morris, D., & Nagy, A. (2010). Mamow Ki-ken-da-ma-win: A partnership approach to child, youth, family and community well-being. International Journal of Mental Health Addiction, 8, 245–257.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Forjaz, M. J., Prieto-Flores, M. E., Ayala, A., Rodriguez-Blazquez, C., Fernandez-Mayoralas, G., Rojo-perez, F., et al. (2011). Measurement properties of the community well-being index in older adults. Quality Life Research, 20, 733–743.

    Google Scholar 

  • Galambos, C. M. (1997). Quality of life for the elder: a reality or an illusion? Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 27(3), 27–44.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Haybron, D. M. (2008). The pursuit of unhappiness: The elusive psychology of well-being. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kelley-Gillespie, N. (2009). An integrated conceptual model of quality of life for older adults based on a synthesis of the literature. Applied Research Quality Life, 4, 259–282.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Keyes, C. L. M. (1998). Social well-being. Social Psychology Quarterly, 61(2), 121–140.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lee, S., Kim, Y., & Phillips, R. (2015). Exploring the intersection of community well-being and community development (pp. 1–8). In Community well-being and community development, conceptions and applications. SpringerBriefs in Well-Being and Quality of Life Research Series, Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Matarrita-Cascante, D. (2010). Changing communities, community satisfaction, and quality of life: A view of Multiple perceived indicators. Social Indicators Research, 98, 105–127.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maybery, D., Pope, R., Hodgins, G., Hitchenor, Y., & Shepherd, A. (2009). Resilience and well-being of small inland communities: Community assets as key determinants. Rural Soceity, 19(4), 326–339.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McGregor, J. A. (2007). Research well-being: From concepts to methodology. In I. Gough & J. A. McGregor (Eds.), Well-being in developing countries: From theory to research (pp. 316–355). New York: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Murphy, B. (2010). Community well-being: An overview of the concept. Toronto, Canada: Nuclear Waste Management Organization.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nowell, B., & Boyd, N. (2010). Viewing community as responsibility as well as resource: Deconstructing the theoretical roots of psychological sense of community. Journal of Community Psychology, 38(7), 828–841.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • O’Neill, J. (2006). Citizenship, well-being and sustainability: Epicurus or Aristotle? Analyse & Kritik, 28, 158–172.

    Google Scholar 

  • Phillips, R. (2003). Community indicators. Chicago, IL: American Planning Association.

    Google Scholar 

  • Phillips, R., & Pittman, R. H. (2009). A framework for community and economic development. An introduction to community development, 3–19.

    Google Scholar 

  • Phillips, R., & Pittman, R. (2015). A construct for community and economic development. In R. Phillips & R. H. Pittman (Eds.), An introduction to community development (pp. 7–10). London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Prilleltensky, I., & Prilleltensky, O. (2012). Webs of well-being: The interdependence of personal, relational, organizational and community well-being. In J. Haworth & G. Hart (Eds.), Well-being: individual, community and social perspectives. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Raphael, D., Brown, I., Renwick, R., & Rootman, I. (1997). Quality of life: What are the implications for health promotion? American Journal of Health and Behavior, 21(2), 118–128.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rapley, M. (2003). Quality of life research: A critical introduction. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Seligman, M. E. P. (2012). Flourish: A visionary new understanding of happiness and well-being. New York, NY: Free Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sirgy, M. J., & Cornwell, T. (2001). Further validation of the Sirgy et al.’s measure of community quality of life. Social Indicators Research, 56, 125–143.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sirgy, M. J., Grzeskowiak, S., & Rahtz, Z. (2007). Quality of college life (QCL) of students: Developing and validating a measure of well-being. Social Indicators Research, 80(2), 343–360.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sirgy, M. J., Rahtz, D. R., Cicic, M., & Underwood, R. (2000). A method for assessing residents’ satisfaction with community-based services: A quality-of-life perspective. Social Indicators Research, 49, 279–316.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sirgy, M. J., Widgery, R. N., Lee, D., & Yu, G. B. (2010). Developing a measure of community well-being based on perceptions of impact in various life domains. Social Indicators Research, 96, 295–311.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thodori, G. L. (2001). Examining the effects of community satisfaction and attachment on individual well-being. Rural Sociology, 66(4), 618–628.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Von Bertalaffy, L. (1972). The history and status of general systems theory. Academy of Management Journal, 407–426.

    Google Scholar 

  • White, S. C. (2010). Analysing well-being: A construct for developing practice. Development in Practice, 20(2), 158–172.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wills, J. (2001). Measuring community well being: A construct for the development of community indicators. In Local Government Community Services Association of Australia (LGCSAA) 8th Biennial National Conference, Perth, Australia.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wiseman, J., & Brasher, K. (2008). Community well-being in an unwell world: Trends, challenges, and possibilities. Journal of Public Health Policy, 29, 353–366.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This chapter was presented at the 3rd International Forum on Community Well-being on June 23rd, 2015 at the Hoam Faculty House, Seoul, South Korea and was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea Grant funded by the Korean Government (NRF-2013S1A3A2054622).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Arizona State University, Tempe, USA

    HeeKyung Sung

  2. Purdue University, West Lafayette, USA

    Rhonda Phillips

Authors
  1. HeeKyung Sung
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Rhonda Phillips
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Soongsil University, Seoul, Korea (Republic of)

    Youngwha Kee

  2. Grad Sch of Public Admin, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea (Republic of)

    Seung Jong Lee

  3. Honors College, Duhme Rm 134, Purdue Univ, Windsor Halls, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA

    Rhonda Phillips

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2016 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Sung, H., Phillips, R. (2016). Conceptualizing a Community Well-Being and Theory Construct. In: Kee, Y., Lee, S., Phillips, R. (eds) Social Factors and Community Well-Being. SpringerBriefs in Well-Being and Quality of Life Research. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-29942-6_1

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-29942-6_1

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-29940-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-29942-6

  • eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation