Whose responsibility is it?

In the United States, we seem to be continually revisiting the question of individual versus community responsibility for human behavior.

These ideas may not be as far apart as they seem, even though memes on Facebook might suggest otherwise.

The behavioral health issues we face as a country—including depression, anxiety, bullying, substance use, and others—afflict individuals, and individuals have control over their own behavior.

The next question becomes, how do we as a society influence the behavior of individuals to address these issues?

There is a fair amount of research into this topic. What influences our own behaviors is a broad range of factors, starting with our relationships with our parents in our early years. These is often referred to as “risk” and “protective” factors, aspects of a person’s life that either increases or decreases her or his likelihood to use substances. To read more about risk and protective factors, see this website.

Other influences include social norms, which are very powerful. Social norms can be influenced by our environments, including what is accepted behavior in school, at parks, on Main streets, in public places, and in groups.
          
What influences accepted behaviors in places like these can be negative and positive. Leaders committed to pushing toward healthy behaviors can help communities see negative behaviors as not inevitable or normal and as something they have an ability to change and create. Another way of to think of this is hope.

So, it is true that individuals’ make decisions daily about how they will behave. It is also true that communities have a great influence on the decisions individuals make. This is where coalitions work, filling in the whole picture with perspectives from parents, teachers, social workers, health professionals, law enforcement, media, local officials, civic groups, and others. Coalitions then access information, acquire new skills, and become content area experts to provide the support for their communities as they decide how they want their community to be. Coalitions lay out the costs and benefits to keeping things the way they are and making changes that make healthier social norms. Coalitions support leadership development both in the community at large and with youth. They invest time and effort in vital work under the goal of prevention, safeguarding community members so that we all may see the greatest possible return on our most valuable resource, our people.