The Community as a Social System

Some assumptions common to traditional theories of the community are examined: (1) that social system boundaries are geographically determinable; (2) that the units comprising communities are either humans or families; (3) that cooperation based on common goals underlies community organization. Suggested here is a conflict model of community structure and behavior that focuses upon interstitial groups linking elemental groups and complex organizations to form the community system. Within interstitial groups social exchange and coordination occurs between groups and organizations whose orientations are in potential conflict. This social exchange between elemental groups, a consequence of the division of labor, is accomplished within interstices containing conjunctive relationships, and it is here that conflict is managed, enabling the operation of complex social systems. Community as a concept is employed by virtually all students of complex social systems. Nevertheless, sociologists are aware how illdefined and imprecise is the concept of community. Hillery (1955) measured the depths of confusion about this concept by inventorying a wide variety of definitions. An examination of these reveals that definitions of community are almost as varied as the number of sociologists attempting to deal with the concept. In the interim since Hillery's article, the amount of agreement over definitions of community has not increased significantly. This paper attempts a more logically consistent and empirically usable definition of community. It is hoped this attempt will reduce the confusion and ambiguity surrounding community as a concept and its behavioral referents (Simpson,