Community engagement boosts wellbeing — both psychological and physical.
Empowerment thrives on safety, autonomy, and shared goals.
Barriers like power imbalances and groupthink hinder participation.
We are born into communities, spend our lives bonding with new communities, and once we’re no longer here, those same communities will celebrate our lives.
Especially during challenging times, community engagement can offer us stability, reassurance, and even hope (Jason et al., 2016).
As coaches, therapists, and leaders, we should encourage and empower employees and clients to “find their tribe.” By encouraging community engagement, individuals will enjoy the support, resources, and positive social interactions they need to thrive.
Below we will outline key strategies for coaches and leaders to encourage active community outreach for their clients and teams.
What Is Community Engagement From a Psychological Perspective?
Humans are by nature social beings. Evolution has always favored those who live in groups, where resources can be shared, predation can be minimized, and collaboration maximized (Dunbar, 2003).
The complex social groups we form are — in essence — communities, which often coalesce around shared values, norms, beliefs, identities, and goals.
Because communities can emerge from any size of social unit, communities can be found and built almost anywhere. From a psychological perspective, community engagement is similar to social integration, which describes the extent to which an individual is active within their respective communities (Cohen et al., 2000).
For an excellent summary of what community engagement is and how to get individuals to engage by asking powerful questions, check out this TEDx talk by Max Hardy (2017).
Questions change everything in community engagement
Types of community engagement
Community engagement is not a one-size-fits-all concept. Each individual will have different motivations that will determine how they participate in their communities. There are a plethora of ways in which individuals can be authentic in their participation.
Below we list five types of community engagement:
Informational engagement
This lighter touch form of engagement is about building awareness and sharing and attaining knowledge through attendance at community meetings such as town halls or by following local newsletters or newspapers.
Consultative engagement
Some individuals want to give feedback; they want to be consulted on projects, ideas, and decisions that directly impact their lives and their communities. For instance, they may want to be part of a deliberative democracy process, participate in community-based action research, or complete market research polls.
Advocacy engagement
Not for the faint-hearted, but some individuals thrive through leadership and advocacy. These individuals will lead the way in advocating for grassroots change, often through organizing or coordinating protests, running for local elections, or running charity-based outreach programs.
Collaborative engagement
Community engagement that is collaborative in nature often meets an individual’s needs for social connection. This is a particularly popular type of participation consisting of volunteering and active attendance at cultural celebrations and community events.
Digital engagement
Another prominent form of community engagement emerges in the digital realm. This approach is increasingly popular given the sheer access to other people that digital platforms allow. In this vein, individuals can build community via online forums, chat rooms, gaming, and social media platforms.
Each of the above approaches allows individuals to “find their tribe” and engage in a way that meets their needs and fits into their lives. Tailoring engagement in this way creates greater opportunities for positive psychological outcomes to emerge.
Why Does Community Collaboration Matter? 2 Real-Life Case Studies
A basic tenet of social group interaction is that individuals in groups can either cooperate to share resources, achieve shared goals or interdependent goals, or compete against one another to increase personal resources or meet a personal need or goal (Deutsch, 2012).
Cooperation and collaboration in groups is vital not only for survival (Stevens & Fiske, 1995) and for individual wellbeing, but for the functioning and growth of societies (Fisk et al., 2019).
Group cooperation can solve significant conflicts, and group collaboration is responsible for many scientific and technological innovations, such as the development of electric cars.
Below we look at real-life case studies to bring these ideas to life.
1. Social justice issues – The Civil Rights Movement
In the 1950s and 60s, collaboration between civil rights leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr., activists, religious groups, and community organizations led to the end of legal racial segregation in America.
These groups worked together in a systematic and cohesive way to demand change from the government, resulting in an expansion of voter rights and the start of civil rights movements.
2. Peace negotiations – The Good Friday Agreement
In 1988 a peace treaty was drawn up with input from the British and Irish governments and Northern Irish political groups to end the violence between Protestants and Catholics living in Northern Ireland.
Collaboration between the different parties created a power-sharing government in Northern Ireland and disarmed paramilitary groups.
These detailed, science-based exercises will equip you or your clients to build healthy, life-enriching relationships.
Download PDF
Download 3 Positive Relationships Pack (PDF)
By filling out your name and email address below.
Key Benefits of Community Participation
Given how instrumental communities are for human survival (Roberts et al., 2014), it is not surprising that active participation in communities comes with a host of boons for individuals and for society more broadly.
Individual level
At the individual level, positive outcomes associated with community participation abound (Putnam et al., 2004).
Attree and colleagues’ (2011) review of 22 empirical studies that looked at the experience and impact of community engagement on individuals found that community engagement acts as a crucial pathway for promoting individual health and wellbeing.
From a psychological wellbeing perspective, socially integrated individuals can experience boosts to:
Self-esteem (Attree et al., 2011)
Confidence (Attree et al., 2011)
Feelings of empowerment (Attree et al., 2011)
Social capital (Attree et al., 2011; Putnam et al., 2004)
Belonging (Talò, 2018)
Reductions in loneliness (Fong et al., 2021)
From a physiological health perspective, socially integrated individuals can experience:
Lower risk of premature death (Steffens et al., 2016; Holt-Lunstad et al., 2015)
Reductions in stress (Uchino, 2006)
Enhanced immune functioning (Haslam et al., 2015)
Greater cardiovascular health (Kamarck et al., 1990)
Social psychologists argue that these types of benefits can be partly attributed to the social support that communities can provide (Berkman & Glass, 2000). For example, social support can positively impact physical health via better adherence to medication routines and increases in health-promoting behaviors such as diets and exercise routines (Haslam et al., 2015).
However, there are some negative consequences that can also stem from over-engagement in community activities, including stress and strain on individual resources such as time and finances (Attree et al., 2011).
Community and societal level
As noted by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (2011), a thriving community can positively impact the social relationships between group members, bolster social cohesion, provide opportunities for growth and innovation, and generate community resilience (Attree et al., 2011; Berkes & Ross, 2012).
Community psychology recognizes that individuals are embedded within social systems, and these broader settings, such as a locality or a neighborhood, have a significant bearing on an individual’s behavior, health, and wellbeing.
As such, social integration viewed from the lens of community psychology argues that community engagement can help address health inequities in disadvantaged populations (Attree et al., 2011) and be a galvanizing instrument for social change by empowering individuals and promoting civic participation (Kloos et al., 2012).
Corporate social responsibility
Recall that community can emerge anywhere. This point is never truer than in the workplace. Individuals spend a considerable amount of time at work and can form firm friendships and support systems. Engagement in workplace community groups is important not only internally but also externally.
Here corporate social responsibility can be an avenue through which employees and organizations can be active in community outreach initiatives. Such participation can have positive implications for employees and the local communities organizations serve (Chia et al., 2020).
3 Core Principles for Driving Empowerment in Groups
To promote empowerment in groups, leaders, organizations, and institutions need to create environments where people feel valued, capable, and motivated. Three core principles include the following:
1. Create psychological safety
For individuals to feel truly emboldened into action, trust is essential. Within the group itself, leaders must create an environment where individuals feel safe to fail and encouraged to challenge the status quo (Edmondson, 1999). Without a foundation of psychological safety, innovation and change cannot emerge.
2. Advocate autonomy
When individuals feel capable and have agency over their actions, they will be more motivated to act in accordance with individual and group-level goals (Deci & Ryan, 2012). One option is to use strengths-based approaches that allow groups to have ownership over decisions and tasks relevant to them.
3. Build a shared vision
Allow space for groups to cocreate a shared vision. Alignment of individuals on purposeful, mission-driven work can enhance motivation, particularly when individual actions and other group member actions are coordinated (Fishbach et al., 2016).
By implementing these principles, organizations and institutions can expect to see higher engagement and greater collaboration within the group.
World’s Largest Positive Psychology Resource – Save 18% For a Limited Time.
Community engagement is no fad, nor is it a nonscientific endeavor. Theories and research exploring community participation and its applications are plentiful. Let’s look at three well-known models.
Community engagement models
Over the years, several prominent theories from multiple domains of scholarship have been generated to help understand how and why individuals choose to engage in community participation.
1. Social capital theory
Putnam’s theory of social capital (2000) argues that community engagement is incumbent on and thrives on positive social relationships and social networks. In essence, when individuals make steps toward citizenship behaviors, their action generates trust and goodwill that accrues over time.
Types of social capital include:
Bonding capital: strengthening groups of similar others
Bridging capital: connecting to different communities or groups
Linking capital: connecting groups with power structures
2. Empowerment theory
Zimmerman’s theory of empowerment (2000) suggests that when individuals feel empowered through actions and activities where resources and control are obtained, they are more likely to be engaged in their communities.
What will empower one person may not empower another, so context is key. There are three levels of empowerment:
Individual: one’s personal agency and self-efficacy
Organizational: where groups work together toward a shared mission
Community: systemic, societal transformation
3. Arnstein’s ladder of participation
Arnstein’s ladder (1969) is a slightly older theory but remains relevant today. In this model, community participation exists on a spectrum of involvement from high to low and varies across individuals depending on their motivations and needs.
There are three levels of engagement:
Nonparticipation: Individuals have no engagement or influence.
Tokenism: Individuals are consulted but have limited influence.
Citizen power: Individuals accrue real power to create change through active participation.
Though this is not an exhaustive list by any means, when thinking about how to encourage employees and clients to participate in their communities, it’s important to consider which model is going to be the best fit for each individual and their specific needs.
How to Encourage Community Participation
People engage with a community in different ways and with differing levels of involvement. Knowing that, practitioners can consider the following strategies to help clients maximize their community participation and the associated benefits.
1. Be inclusive and accessible
Find out how your clients and employees prefer to engage, and use the resources at your disposal to offer them pathways to community engagement that are diverse and inclusive.
For example, those who enjoy consultative engagement may appreciate the opportunity to get involved in employee resource groups.
2. Provide recognition
Emergent research suggests that recognition is a key driver of employee engagement and performance (Gallup, 2022).
Like any other work, this approach can be used to motivate community participation. This could look like monetary or social rewards and even career development opportunities.
3. Make it fun! (Where appropriate)
Avoid making community engagement another chore or work task for individuals; try to make it fun. For example, the POSH club is an arts-based group in the United Kingdom that brings elderly individuals together to create community via dancing, cabaret, and other artistic activities (Jones et al., 2019).
Another important thing to consider when fostering community engagement is building trust with your clients and employees so that they feel safe and empowered to be active in the communities they identify with.
3 Challenges Around Group Engagement
Despite communities being a central tenet of human life, research suggests that community engagement is on the decline and has been for the past 50 years.
In the best-selling book Bowling Alone, Putnam (2000) argues that individuals are less engaged in civic association, political participation, religious congregations, and even charitable giving than ever before.
More recent statistics support this downturn; Pew Research Center’s (2023) survey of people’s attitudes to feeling connected across the world found that compared to other countries, Americans are less likely to feel close to others and be part of a community.
Interestingly, this trend has also been mirrored in the United Kingdom, with a quarter of adults surveyed reporting feeling lonely often (Office for National Statistics, 2025) and only 36% of individuals feeling as though they belong to a community (Department for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport, 2023).
These statistics suggest there may be barriers preventing individuals from finding or engaging with communities. Below, we explore three prominent challenges.
1. Power imbalances
Some people wield more power than others, and some people have more gregarious personalities, which can have implications for group engagement (Brown & Pehrson, 2019).
To make group engagement fairer and more appealing, rotating leadership roles and responsibilities can be an effective strategy for making sure all voices are heard.
2. Conflict
A natural occurrence of living and working in groups is a propensity toward conflict (Deutsch, 2012).
When individuals are misaligned on goals, or there is miscommunication, disagreements can emerge. It is therefore paramount to carve out space for regular alignment check-ins. Here groups can reevaluate shared goals, assess progress, and pivot as needed.
3. Groupthink
If a group lacks diverse perspectives, groupthink can emerge where individuals are reluctant to speak out against the majority opinion. This is a harmful social psychological phenomenon that can lead to bad decision-making (Janis, 1982).
Organizations should look to build diverse teams with a culture of psychological safety to avoid this trap.
These examples demonstrate that whatever the underlying cause of disengagement is, there are effective strategies that can be implemented to overcome them.
17 Exercises for Positive, Fulfilling Relationships
Empower others with the skills to cultivate fulfilling, rewarding relationships and enhance their social wellbeing with these 17 Positive Relationships Exercises [PDF].
So how do we become active participants in a community, and how do we encourage others to do the same? Below we identify some resources that at minimum act as conversation starters for becoming more engaged and at best provide several routes toward action.
Creating social change is not easy; this is why behavioral science can add insight. In the Nudge Group Intervention, groups are encouraged to explore how nudges can be effectively used to create positive change. Having an action plan and an approach for hitting shared goals can increase individuals’ motivation toward community engagement.
To encourage your clients to engage more proactively with a community, you may need to strengthen their social skills. The High and Low Energy Social Skills worksheet challenges the client to reflect on the energy exhibited by a group.
If you’re looking for more science-based ways to help others build healthy relationships, this collection contains 17 validated positive relationships tools for practitioners. Use them to help others form healthier, more nurturing, and life-enriching relationships.
A Take-Home Message
Community has long held benefits for active members, from boosts to psychological and physical health to richer social relationships. Yet the impacts of community engagement extend far beyond the individual, creating opportunities for group cohesion and collaboration to solve societal problems.
Despite deteriorating feelings of community, coaches, therapists, and organizations can take active steps to empower employees and clients to find their tribe.
It has never been more pressing to do so than now, during times of significant social uncertainty. We urge more individuals to get involved in their communities and find solace and hope for a better future.
How does community engagement benefit mental health?
Engaging with one’s community can reduce isolation, increase positive emotions, and provide a sense of purpose, leading to improved mental health and resilience.
What are some ways to engage with my community?
Volunteering, attending local events, and joining community groups are effective ways to connect and contribute to your community.
How does community engagement relate to positive psychology?
Community engagement aligns with positive psychology by promoting wellbeing through positive emotions, relationships, and a sense of purpose.
Attree, P., French, B., Milton, B., Povall, S., Whitehead, M., & Popay, J. (2011). The experience of community engagement for individuals: A rapid review of evidence. Health and Social Care in the Community, 19(3), 250–260. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2524.2010.00976.x
Berkman, L. F., & Glass, T. (2000). Social integration, social networks, social support, and health. Social Epidemiology, 1(6), 137–173.
Brown, R., & Pehrson, S. (2019). Group processes: Dynamics within and between groups. John Wiley & Sons.
Chia, A., Kern, M. L., & Neville, B. A. (2020). CSR for happiness: Corporate determinants of societal happiness as social responsibility. Business Ethics, the Environment & Responsibility, 29(3), 422–437. https://doi.org/10.1111/beer.12274
Cohen, S., Brissette, I., Skoner, D. P., & Doyle, W. J. (2000). Social integration and health: The case of the common cold. Journal of Social Structure, 1(3), 1–7.
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2012). Self-determination theory. In P. M. Van Lange, E. T. Higgins & A. W. Kruglanski (Eds.), Handbook of theories of social psychology, (pp. 416–436). Sage Publications Ltd.
Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. (2023). Community life survey, 2021-2022. [data collection]. UK Data Service. SN: 9079, DOI: http://doi.org/10.5255/UKDA-SN-9079-1
Deutsch, M. (2012). A theory of cooperation–competition and beyond. In P. M. Van Lange, E. T. Higgins & A. W. Kruglanski (Eds.), Handbook of theories of social psychology, (pp. 275–294). Sage Publications Ltd.
Edmondson, A. C. (1999). Psychological safety and learning behavior in work teams. Administrative Science Quarterly, 44(2), 350–383. https://doi.org/10.2307/2666999
Fishbach, A., Steinmetz, J., & Tu, Y. (2016). Motivation in a social context: Coordinating personal and shared goal pursuits with others. Advances in Motivation Science, 3, 35–79. https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.adms.2015.12.005
Fisk, R., Fuessel, A., Laszlo, C., Struebi, P., Valera, A., & Weiss, C. (2019). Systemic social innovation: Co-creating a future where humans and all life thrive. Humanistic Management Journal, 4, 191–214. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41463-019-00056-8
Fong, P., Cruwys, T., Robinson, S. L., Haslam, S. A., Haslam, C., Mance, P. L., & Fisher, C. L. (2021). Evidence that loneliness can be reduced by a whole-of-community intervention to increase neighbourhood identification. Social Science & Medicine, 277, 113909. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.113909
Haslam, C., Cruwys, T., Haslam, S. A., & Jetten, J. (2015). Social connectedness and health. Encyclopedia of Geropsychology, 46(1), 1–10.
Holt-Lunstad, J., Smith, T. B., Baker, M., Harris, T., & Stephenson, D. (2015). Loneliness and social isolation as risk factors for mortality: A meta-analytic review. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 10(2), 227–237. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691614568352
Janis, I. L. (1982). Groupthink. Houghton Mifflin.
Jason, L. A., Stevens, E., & Light, J. M. (2016). The relationship of sense of community and trust to hope. Journal of Community Psychology, 44(3), 334–341. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcop.21771
Jones, J. M., Bryson, K. D., & Osman, M. (2019). The Posh club – final evaluation report. Department of Psychology, Queen Mary University of London.
Kamarck, T. W., Manuck, S. B., & Jennings, J. R. (1990). Social support reduces cardiovascular reactivity to psychological challenge: A laboratory model. Psychosomatic Medicine, 52(1), 42–58. https:/doi.org/10.1097/00006842-199001000-00004
Kloos, B., Hill, J., Thomas, E., Wandersman, A., Elias, M. J., & Dalton, J. H. (2012). Community psychology. CA: Cengage Learning.
Putnam, R. D. (2000). Bowling alone: The collapse and revival of American community. Simon & Schuster.
Putnam, R. D., Feldstein, L., & Cohen, D. J. (2004). Better together: Restoring the American community. Simon & Schuster.
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (2011). Perspectives on global development 2012: Social cohesion in a shifting world. OECD Publishing, Paris. Retrieved March 4, 2025, from https://doi.org/10.1787/persp_glob_dev-2012-en
Roberts, S. B. G., Arrow, H., Lehmann, J., & Dunbar, R. I. M. (2014). Close social relationships: An evolutionary perspective. In R.I.M. Dunbar, C. Gamble & J.A.J. Gowlet (Eds.), Lucy to language: Benchmark papers (pp.151–180).
Steffens, N. K., Cruwys, T., Haslam, C., Jetten, J., & Haslam, S. A. (2016). Social group memberships in retirement are associated with reduced risk of premature death: Evidence from a longitudinal cohort study. BMJ Open, 6(2), e010164. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2015-010164
Stevens, L. E., & Fiske, S. T. (1995). Motivation and cognition in social life: A social survival perspective. Social Cognition, 13(3), 189–214. https://doi.org/10.1521/soco.1995.13.3.189
Talò, C. (2018). Community-based determinants of community engagement: A meta-analysis research. Social Indicators Research, 140(2), 571–596. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-017-1778-y
Tyler, T. R., & Blader, S. L. (2003). The group engagement model: Procedural justice, social identity, and cooperative behavior. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 7(4), 349–361. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327957PSPR0704_07
Uchino, B. N. (2006). Social support and health: A review of physiological processes potentially underlying links to disease outcomes. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 29, 377–387. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-006-9056-5
Zimmerman, M. A. (2000). Empowerment theory: Psychological, organizational and community levels of analysis. In J. Rappaport & E. Seidman (Eds.), Handbook of community psychology (pp. 43–63). Springer US.
About the author
Kirsty Gardiner, Ph.D. is a Social Psychologist with a passion for using research to power social change. She holds a doctorate in Psychology, a masters in Applied Positive Psychology, and is a registered chartered Psychologist with the BPS. On completing her Ph.D. she taught on the MAPPCP programme for several years. Currently, she is based in the UK as the Research Director at Ardent - a DEI consultancy.
We are born into communities, spend our lives bonding with new communities, and once we’re no longer here, those same communities will celebrate our lives.
A basic tenet of social group interaction is that individuals in groups can either cooperate to share resources, achieve shared goals or interdependent goals, or compete against one another to increase personal resources or meet a personal need or goal (Deutsch, 2012).
Given how instrumental communities are for human survival (Roberts et al., 2014), it is not surprising that active participation in communities comes with a host of boons for individuals and for society more broadly.
People engage with a community in different ways and with differing levels of involvement. Knowing that, practitioners can consider the following strategies to help clients maximize their community participation and the associated benefits.
Despite communities being a central tenet of human life, research suggests that community engagement is on the decline and has been for the past 50 years.
