Rural Practice, Challenges of

Rural Values

Values that undergird rural life tend to be social, based on the family and the community. The social and relational parts of rural life can be powerful in their psychological rewards. Rural people tend to understand what it means to belong to a close-knit community. They put stock in being a good neighbor. They have lifelong relationships with relatives close by and friends who seem like family.

Rural life tends to be characterized by rituals. Most often these rituals concern farming life: sowing and harvesting. They also concern social life: Young people becoming old people in the same place. Rural people accept the interplay between the good and the bad, accommodate themselves to the reality they see, and do what is necessary to be in harmony with their environment.

Rural people often participate in national affairs with great distinction. They offer wisdom in knowing how things fit together, a sense of continuity and history, a restraint against a rush toward change, and an awareness of how decisions will affect the lives of ordinary people.

In addition, rural people may be considered to be place-bound. To be removed from place can be a disorienting experience. One's importance may be diminished, and by being separated from place, one may lose the vital energy upon which one has come to depend for nourishment, strength, and even life. A high percentage of farm families who are forced out of farming stay in their local communities—possibly because of this characteristic. They may view moving to an unknown place, where they do not know the history and the people, as a drastic uprooting. They may fear not knowing how to act in a place where “place” may not be important.

The Downside of Rural Life

In studying the social dynamics of a small community, psychologist Roger Barker found people take on many social roles to meet community needs. Functioning in multiple roles adds to stress. The same person may serve on different boards and community organizations and as a member of various groups. People may be recruited and pressured into community service.

At the same time, community members often see and meet each other at church, school functions, games, stores, dealerships, card parties, weddings, funerals, community fund-raisers, and local cafes and bars. They “change hats” frequently and make subtle shifts in relationships depending on the roles they are playing.

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