The Communes of the 1970s

Abstract

This article examines who joined the communes of the 1970s and challenges many common assumptions about partici- pants and their motivations. Not all commune members were from middle class backgrounds. Very few came from broken homes. On several measures, those who joined communes were less alienated than other Americans at the time. Commune members were innova- tors and experimenters; however, rates of involvement in noncon- ventional political, sexual, and drug related behaviors actually went down after joining a communal group. Relatively few commune members were engaged in deliberate attempts to create a new family form. The reason most often given for joining a communal living group was consensual community-the desire for some degree of cultural coherence in response to the unravelling of broader social unity. The commune movement directs our attention to the cognitive and moral as well as affective dimensions of intentionally created networks of emotional support.

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