Though many areas of development are integrative, the link between social support and emotional health is greatly acknowledged. The term "social support" often appears in discussions of relationships. Social support means "having friends and other people, including family, to turn to in times of need or crisis to give you a broader focus and positive self-image" (Towey, n.d., Web). Having this social support promotes better emotional health which can help a person face stressful life events.
An example of this integrative development is the rise of loneliness during early adulthood. This is understandable, seeing as young people move through school and jobs, they are constantly building new relationships (Berk, 2010). Often these emotional feelings of loneliness come from not being satisfied with their current relationships or wishing for relationships. A dictionary definition characterizes loneliness as causing a depressing feeling of being alone (Loneliness, dictionary.com). When intense feelings of loneliness continue, it is often linked to many self-defeating attitudes and behaviors (Berk, 2010). Lonely people tend to evaluate themselves and other negatively and are increasing uncomfortable is social situations. This leads to the person being unable to further their chances of making friends.
Having a support group has shown an active connection between social support and areas of wellbeing. Those who have close personal relationships cope better with various stressors, including bereavement, job loss, rape, and illness (Towey, n.d., Web). Church groups, social groups and community centers are all examples of social support networks. They can provide a person with emotional support, which are actions that make a person feel cared for. Instrumental support involves supportive physical deeds, such as buying groceries. When information is given to help someone it is called informational support (Towey, n.d.). To be a support group, a positive relationship and a sense of connection must be made with the support network.
Because emotional health can be related to social support, this means that the young person facing loneliness can be positively affected by being exposed to a social support group. A study of 700 Canadian 13 to 80 -year-olds showed that changes in emotional distress due to loneliness spiked from the early teens to the late teens and early twenties. Towards middle adulthood and through late adulthood, the feelings of loneliness declined. If the person can find a social support that can supports them emotionally, their well-being will improve.
Russell (1978), (http://www.ccsenet.org/journal/index.php/jedp/article/download/46795/25238) established the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) Loneliness scale, which has been widely employed to this day, and performed a theoretical factor analysis for loneliness. His research and results attracted broad attention around the world. Loneliness can be studied by three approaches: the cognitive process approach, the human needs approach and the behavioral approach. The cognitive process approach emphasizes an individual’s mental awareness and assesses his or her social
Social support is one of the aspects of the book and what it is, is contact
Several studies also asserted that loneliness is correlated with aging itself (Tijhuis et al, 1999; Victor et al, 2000) and that there was a gradual increase in loneliness up to the age of 90 (Holmen, 1992). This increasing trend can be attributed to interactions with other factors due to additive nature of risk factors for loneliness and social isolation (Victor et al, 2000).
This is further explained in the article “How Friendship Network Characteristics Influence Subjective Well-Being” by Mariska van der Horst and Hilde Coffé. “People who enjoy close relationships are found to cope better with various types of stress, including job loss and illness.the presence of supportive relationships diminishes the exposure to stress.” (Horst & Coffé, 2012) This is shown especially after Sadako passes.
It is an act to ultimately benefit one self. Conversely, it is also what is known as self-righteousness, where one claims to be charitable and or virtuous towards others, when all the while there is a hidden agenda to benefit one-self. The so-called “friendship” is only to benefit the oneself. Unfortunately, this type of self-love can lead to loneliness and loss of true friendships. As much as people may believe that true friendship is not necessary, it is our inherent human need to be in a relationship with other human beings, and/or to develop a form of friendship. To prove the theory that friendship is necessary, an article published by the Journal of Clinical & Diagnostic Research suggests that there is a correlation between loneliness and psychiatric disorders. According to this study, they stated that as human beings, we are a social species which require safe and secure social surroundings to survive. Friendship and/or social relationships are essential for mental and physical well beings (Mushtaq, R., Shoib, S., Shah, T., & Mushtaq, S. (2014). Without social interactions, loneliness ensues, and loneliness can lead to various psychiatric disorders like depression, alcohol abuse, child abuse, sleep problems, personality disorders and Alzheimer’s disease, just to name a few. Not to mention, it can also lead to physiological disorders. Most importantly, loneliness can have serious consequences for mental and physical health of people (Mushtaq, R., Shoib, S., Shah, T., & Mushtaq, S.
A person’s social and emotional well-being has a profound effect on their mental health. Social well-being includes the relations that you have with others, both in wider social groups, one-to-one and family level. Strong and supportive relationships with those close to you can provide you with trust and a sense of belonging. This goes hand-in-hand with emotional well-being which sets the capacity to be able to cope with the ups and downs of life and level of resilience to deal with difficulties and tackle day to day routines (Health, 2010).
Going back to the example of a large majority of my friends, relying on close friendships and their support seems to be very beneficial. I see nothing but positivity from my friends, even when they have difficulty with schoolwork, and in their spare time, their door is always open for anyone to visit and hang out. Quite often, they try to organize activities, as well, such as going to movies or coordinating dinner plans, which helps make everyone feel like a part of the greater group, at least from my own experiences. This coincides with the data given to us in the paper entitled: "Coping Mechanisms, Stress, Social Support, and Health Problems in College Students", since my friends have hardly been sick for more than a few days total since college began and are generally happy and outgoing, which seems to be quite healthy when compared to another friend, who will be discussed in the next paragraph. Their hig...
Social support is defined as “a process through which help is provided to or exchanged with others in an attempt to facilitate one or more goals” (Dobler 1). In one’s life it is apparent that the amount of support received has a significant impact on the way an individual makes decisions. Therefore saying social support provides a source of inspiration for people.
A rich and fulfilling life to me needs mutually supportive relationships. Support from good friends can help one overcome many difficult situations. Personally I think a good support system is key in life. I have a bestfriend named Nina. I have known Nina for seven years, and I could not trust a person more. She knows my family background and she has been there through all of the good and bad times with me; as I have to her. We give each other honest advice, even if it is not the easiest to tell. I love her like a sister and I don 't know If I would be the same person, had I not met her. Nina knows I have bad anxiety, and some days when it builds real high I give her a call. She reassures me things will work out in time. Sometimes she will give me an example of a time I freaked out over something that was resolved quite easily. Nina always reminds me to remain level headed because there are little reason to get upset about. Nina and I want to move in together soon because both of our home lives can be pretty hectic at times. Another really good supporter of mine is my boyfriend Jose. Jose and I have been together for almost a year now. It is really exciting to have found someone
conversations that help the emotional needs of an individual, Esteem support – communication that helps a person boost their self-esteem and self-efficiency, Information support – discussions that provide individuals with information they may find useful, Network Support – which focuses on informing individuals of the support that is accessible to them within the network, as well as confirming their belonging in the group and Tangible support – which is physical support or services that are provided. (Kendall-Hunt, 2011)
A social support system is a network of family members, friends and different types of organizations a person belongs to. These social support systems can be tied to the individual based on the persons age, gender, relationships, number of years known and have close ties to the geographical proximity one lives in. These support networks provide emotional and instrumental support. Some of the benefits of these networks include emotional support which include a sense of belonging, increased feelings of self-worth and feelings of security. Some of these social support networks provide instrumental support which include provided financial assistance, provide goods or services or even provide information and guidance. Instrumental support helps
...e or friendship. We are taught that we don't have an identity if we are alone. Which is why we treat loneliness as a disease, one to be avoided at any cost. Loneliness is viewed as an inadequacy of our personalities. Though all of us are taught to be independent, our independence is superficial. We can cook, clean, and do our laundry but we can't seem to take care of our emotions independently. We are taught that we need to share all our emotions. And I believe that however hard we search we can never get the kind of understanding that we are looking for. We are taught to be uncomfortable in our own world. Society conditions us to believe that we are inadequately equipped to be alone and content. And that alone always means lonely.
While being social has many benefits to the health of a person, it can have a negative effect if there is any financial stress, increased burdens, or ailing family member or partner (Annear et al., 2012). Caring for others as an elderly person can have both negative and positive effects while providing companionship and a sense of purpose, it can also make the elderly carers life more stressful and can sometimes make the carer feel emotionally isolated (Annear et al., 2012). Joining social groups will get encourage participation and interaction with other members of their social group; this will help in minimising the potential for social isolation and detachment. Barriers to having an active social health are living in rural or remote areas, long distances to services and social networks. It is important for elderly people to feel they still have some form of connection with their friends and family and feel that are still connect to
Stress also can have an input on our social life. A research (Irwin G. Sarason, 1981) about whether people need support in stressful situation or not shows that people need to have others beside them to overcome their problems more effectively most of the time. We need companionship, but if stress produces anger undesired situations may occur.
Social wellness has an overarching impact on all seven dimensions of wellness. Relational wellness and emotional wellness are especially linked together, however, there is no such thing as an ideal marriage, perfect family, or flawless team of coworkers. Therefore, relationships can either be our greatest source of joy or the primary root of stress. In light of this, the contentment I find in my social connections is determined by the expectations I place on my relationships. Feelings are temporary but relationships are something far more precious, social wellness is not only a vital aspect of enjoying life but also developing me to into a better person.