Author(s)

Diann Kelly

Adelphi University, Garden City, New York, USA.

As class status improves, engagement in civic and political activities increases. These activities are voting, volunteerism and vocal activism. However, depressed socio-economic status leaves many individuals disengaged from civic-political structures. Applying Attachment Theory, this article proposes there are five statuses of civic-political development to being an engaged citizen. These statuses correspond to fixed class categories and are 1) disengaged and detached; 2) insecure, responsive; 3) insecure, subscribing; 4) secure, subscribing; 5) secure and defining. The lower the quintile, the less engaged an individual is in the civic-political structures of society and attached to their community. Organizing communities is one way to engage individuals into the civic-political structures of their community in spite of their economic status.

Civic-Political Development, Distressed Communities, Community Attachment, Working Poor, Voting Practices, Social Trust

Kelly, D. (2017) Civic-Political Development in the Context of Economic Apartheid in Distressed Communities: A Theoretical Model. Advances in Applied Sociology, 7, 378-390. doi: 10.4236/aasoci.2017.712025.