What is social well-being?

AMMAN — Social well-being is a concept in psychology that states, people not only derive but thrive on happiness and relationships formed in a social setting. One prominent figure in the field of social well-being, Corey Keyes, defined it as “the appraisal of one’s life circumstances and functioning in society.” اضافة اعلان

In his 1998 work, he proposed five dimensions of social well-being: social integration, social contribution, social coherence, social actualization, and social acceptance. The entire concept of social well-being holds roots in man’s past. 

Humans as individuals are rather weak and in order to survive, we developed communities. Communities only succeeded through mutual cooperation and relied on individual actions to contribute to the benefit of others. The five dimensions of social well-being not only help individuals, but are aspects to forming a society as a whole. 

What are the five dimensions?

Social integration: Social integration is the subjective feeling of shared commonness with others that form a collective society, for example a neighborhood. 

Social contribution: Social contribution is more complex and is divided into two sub-dimensions. Generally speaking, contribution is a perceived value in society and includes the belief that one is a vital member of society and gives value to the world. 

The first sub-dimension is self-efficacy which is a belief someone has in themselves to be able to perform certain behaviors and complete objectives. The second is social responsibility, which is more objective in the sense that it is a designation of personal obligations that contribute to society.

Social coherence: Social coherence in short is understanding how the world works: an overall perception and outlook on the world based on organization and operation. Understanding the flaws of the world and having a sense of empathy towards tragedies as a part of a collective is an example of this. 

Social actualization: Social actualization is the belief that society has a path and will evolve to become better. Despite the realistic and often depressive outlook of social coherence, one is able to remain optimistic and envision a better future for society. 

Social acceptance: Social acceptance builds off on integration by adding the belief that others are capable of kindness and able to be trusted. Acceptance portrays optimistic views of humanity on a more individual level.

How social well-being affects our subjective well-being

Subjective well-being is an extremely intricate and complex concept. In psychology there are many different theories and components that make up the whole of well-being. 

One such theory is that an integral part of well-being is the self-determination theory (SDT). The SDT is a concept that refers to the ability of an individual to make their own choices and change their own life. 

SDT can be applied to many different aspects of life and should speak to its importance to our overall well-being. In order for SDT to work, there are three components that must be fulfilled. 

The first component is autonomy, which in essence is the feeling that one is in control of their own behaviors and goals. A person needs to feel in control and that the bulk of what affects their life involves their own actions that they are responsible for, regardless of external factors. 

The second component that must be fulfilled is competence. Before a person is able to begin the pursuit of their goals, they must first develop skills. These skills are what gives a person confidence in their own abilities. 

The final component is connection and relatedness. Regardless of one’s skills and beliefs, they must feel as though they are serving a higher purpose through their actions. Through a sense of belonging and attachment to others, they receive expressed or subtle validation in their goals that fuels their ambitions.

It is the last component that holds the most significance on social well-being’s affect on subjective well-being. In fact, a 2018 study focusing on the relationship between social well-being and subjective well-being over the span of 20 years found that social well-being was able to predict subjective well-being. 

They went on to explain that their findings were consistent with SDT, specifically with a particular sub-theory purposed by DeHaan and Ryan, which states that “certain activities and lifestyles … supply the most reliable paths of happiness and positive affect.” 

The benefits of positive relationships

Social well-being encompasses many aspects of society, including family, friends, work and leisure. The sum of our interactions with people is what defines social well-being and is contingent to forming healthy and positive relationships with others. 

Our positive relationships with people have untold benefits in both the short-term and long-term. One study suggests that in teens and young adults, the main source of well-being derives from romantic relationships. 

As for friendships, support based on those relationships has been shown to be associated with higher levels of resilience, enhanced family support, and improved overall life satisfaction. Furthermore, having more friends that can be trusted has been associated with higher levels of subjective well-being.

Evidence has also shown a link between positive relationships and improved cardiovascular health, and immune and hormone responses. 

Forming bonds in Jordan

In our day to day lives, we have ample opportunities to form social bonds of varying degrees, whether it be with people at school, work, or in your neighborhood. Due to COVID-19 restrictions and the digitalization of modern life, people may find it difficult to form these bonds. 

Luckily, the internet may be able to provide a more immediate solution. Online forums have been a great way for people around the world to share and discuss ideas and thoughts with people that may have shared experiences. 

Websites, such as reddit, allow you to visit sub-reddits (forums with specific interests) in which you can surround yourself like minded people. One such example is r/jordan. On this sub-reddit, people commonly post questions and thoughts topical to Jordan and with a sense of anonymity.

Read more Lifestyle