EXTERNAL CAPABILITY 11: GROUP MEMBERSHIP INFLUENCES

Health norms of your social groups

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Overview

Functioning 1. Church, union, community membership to supplement or counterbalance social norms and social assistance in other social contexts

What is it?

Group membership influences is an external capability that refers to the positive impacts on health that belonging to a group may confer. Types of groups may include religious (e.g. churches), professional (e.g. unions), and geographic (e.g. community). As a positive influence on health, being a member of these groups supplements positive social norms and social assistance, and/or counterbalances negative social norms and social assistance in other social contexts. It is important that group membership influences are positive rather than negative.

Why is it important?

Group membership influences are important because we are all influenced by those around us. Group membership can be an important personal identity to many, and with membership and identity in a community comes an internalization of that groups’ norms and values. In addition to broader social norms, groups serve as an additional source of positive health norms and social support.

What does it look like?

An example of a strong external capability of group membership may include belonging to a church whose other members are deeply supportive of one's own health-seeking efforts. They may share personal and health-related knowledge and practices, such as habits or routines that enable healthy outcomes (e.g. taking time every day to pray), counterbalancing negative macrosocial norms (e.g. overwork culture) within the broader societal culture.

How do WE do it?

We can develop positive group membership influences by self-selecting into groups with positive health and flourishing norms, as well as changing negative health norms into positive health and flourishing norms in the groups we are already in.

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