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Linking social cohesion and gender to intrapersonal and interactional empowerment: Support and new implications for theory
Author(s) -
Peterson N. Andrew,
Lowe John B.,
Aquilino Mary L.,
Schneider John E.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
journal of community psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.585
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 1520-6629
pISSN - 0090-4392
DOI - 10.1002/jcop.20047
Subject(s) - intrapersonal communication , empowerment , psychology , social psychology , reciprocity (cultural anthropology) , cohesion (chemistry) , interpersonal communication , political science , chemistry , organic chemistry , law
Empowerment is a social‐action process through which people gain greater control, efficacy, and social justice. One way to develop empowerment is through active, meaningful participation in community groups and activities. Social cohesion is an emerging construct that expands the notion of community participation to include elements such as shared emotional commitment and reciprocity. This study extended previous research by examining the role of gender in the relationship between social cohesion and the intrapersonal and interactional components of psychological empowerment among a randomly selected sample of rural residents ( n = 408). Findings support previous studies on intrapersonal empowerment but refute research on interactional empowerment. Implications for empowerment theory and practice are discussed. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comm Psychol 33: 233–244, 2005.