Abstract
Social policies to promote socially excluded young adult women generally concentrate on education, employment, and residence but tend to neglect thriving. The current article puts forward a Civic Engagement Community Participation Thriving Model (CECP-TM) that views thriving as a social policy goal in and of itself. It posits that civic engagement, beyond its contribution to social justice, serves as a vehicle for thriving through self-exploration and identity formation. Both are considered key components of successful maturation and thriving. Nonetheless, civic engagement and self-exploration tend not to be nurtured in socially excluded young adult women, a unique group experiencing intersecting discrimination. The model shows how active civic engagement in the context of a community of peers contributes to developing a sense of belonging and connectedness and promotes new self-reflection, identity formation, and agency capabilities. When situated within the context of intersectionality, these encourage the development of critical consciousness and new understandings of “who I am and how I fit into the social world in which we live.” These can provide a sense of meaning, contribute to identity formation, and promote the thriving of the self and the community. Several examples illustrate the model.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 955777 |
Journal | Frontiers in Psychology |
Volume | 13 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 15 Sep 2022 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:Copyright © 2022 Birger Sagiv, Goldner and Carmel.
Keywords
- civic engagement
- community
- identity
- thriving
- women
- young adults
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Psychology