國內學術界與實務界於1990年代中期起積極投入社區研究與實務活動。學者多主張社區凝聚有助於社區發展活動的推展，繼之而起的研究則探討個人社區意識的影響因子或如何增進社區住民的凝聚力。然而，多數量化的社區意識實證研究以微觀取徑觀點為基礎，因此其研究結果無助於理解地方政府對於個人社區意識的形構所扮演的可能角色。研究者企圖透過本研究以中觀取徑觀點為基礎，建構可理解個人社區意識形構機制的概念性模式，並進而討論地方政府的可能角色。社會學者明確指出「社區」是個人與大社會（society）間的緩衝區；每個社區因其社區形構過程的差異性，由於人口組成份子不盡相同，而有其獨特之生命週期。爰此，社區不僅是一個居住的空間，其對於形構個人的社區態度與社區行為有決定性影響力；儘管是生活在同一都市中，社區調節大社會對個人身心狀態之影響力，都市居民因此不必然發展出相同的社區意識或社區行為。藉由整理相關文獻，研究者將建立解釋形構個人社區意識的整合的概念性模式，其中討論社區脈絡（contexts）對個人社區意識形構之影響效果。針對社區脈絡特徵的直接影響與調節效果的討論不僅可檢驗社區因子的重要性，研究者可進而分析地方政府可能扮演的角色，甚至可對地方政府提出政策性建議，以協助社區居民發展社區意識。因此本研究的重要性有二，首先，在學術研究上將提供後續社區意識研究一個概念性研究架構，其次，做為探討地方政府在形塑個人社區意識上所扮演的角色，並對地方政府提出政策性建議的工具。

The cohesion of communities has been a major national concern in Taiwan since the mid-1990s. Scholars have been involved in community research and activities. Local community research in the past, however, was limited theoretically and empirically. Most research has frequently relied on the micro-perspective to identify factors facilitating community cohesion. These studies, however, are powerless in figuring out the role local governments playing. The intention of the present study is to construct an integrated theoretical framework relying on both the micro and the meso perspectives to understand how local governments can perform to facilitate personal psychological sense of community.The community research of the micro-perspective examines individual factors which influence personal psychological sense of community, but ignores the importance of communities. Local communities reflect their ecological, normative and institutional variables. Additionally, because of the characteristics of local communities, inhabitants might develop specific attitudes and patterns of social behaviors toward their local communities. Therefore, the meso-perspective suggests community contexts can explain the differential personal attitudes and behaviors toward their communities. Further, identifying community contexts that facilitate personal psychological sense of community is meaningful to understand the role of local governments playing in promoting community/neighborhood cohesion. To surmise, the importance of the present study is twofold. First, it proposes an integrated theoretical framework. Second, it will help understand the role of local governments playing. It further will help local governments develop strategic plans to facilitate community cohesion and personal psychological sense of community.