Individual and Social Wellbeing: a sociological perspective

- Individual development – social perspectives

- Knowledge Society
- Sustainable Development
- GDP and Gross National Happiness
- What makes a good life- linking theory and practice in a globalizing world.

Social wellbeing can be defined as our ability to interact and form meaningful relationships
with others. It also relates to how comfortably we can adapt in social situations. Social
relationships have an impact on our mental health, physical health and mortality risk.

Social well-being has been identified by the World Health Organization [WHO] (1948) as a
central component of individuals’ overall health. The concept has been conceptualized and
operationalized in many different ways.
Within economic disciplines, studies objective criteria are used such as gross domestic
product (GDP) that reflects the relative prosperity of communities and societies;
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development [OECD] (2011) proposed
additional criteria, besides macroeconomic statistics, to better measure individuals’
perceptions of well-being and progress. Research within social sciences has operationalized
social well-being in terms of behaviours that reflect community and organizational
participation, community or group membership, or social capital and social cohesion. Within
psychology, the focus has been on individual-level.

Social wellbeing is the appraisal of one’s circumstances and functioning in society. Some
dimensions of social wellbeing are as follows.

1.Social integration – It is the evaluation of one’s relationship to society and community. It

refers to the extent to which people feel they have something in common with others who
constitute their social reality, (e.g. their neighbourhood), as well as the degree to which they
belong to their communities and society.
2. Social acceptance – It refers to the understanding of society through the character and
qualities of other people as a generalized category. Individuals who illustrate social
acceptance trust others, think that others are capable of kindness, and believe that people
can be industrious. Socially accepting people hold favourable views of human nature and
feel comfortable with others. Social acceptance is the social analogue to personal
acceptance. People who feel good about their personalities and accept both the good and
the bad aspect of their lives exemplify good mental health. Therefore the social acceptance
of others might be the social counterpart of self-acceptance.
3. Social Contribution – It is the social evaluation of one’s social values. It includes the belief
that one is a vital member of society, with something of value to give to the world. Social
contribution resembles the concepts of efficacy and responsibility. Self-efficacy is the belief
that one can perform certain behaviours and can accomplish specific objectives. Social
responsibility is the designation of personal obligations that contribute to the society. Social
contribution reflects whether, and to what degree, people feel that whatever they do in the
world is valued by the society and contributes to the general welfare of the society.
4. Social actualization - It is the evaluation of the potential and trajectory of the society. This
is the belief in the evaluation of the society and the sense that the society has potential
which is being realized through its institutions and citizens. Healthier people are hopeful
about the condition and future of society, and they can recognize society’s potential.
5. Social coherence – It is the perception of the quality, organization and operation of the
social world, at includes a concern about knowing the world. Healthier people care about
the world and also feel that they can understand what is happening around them. Social
coherence is analogous to meaningfulness in life and involves appraisals that it is
understandable, sensible and predictable.

Sources of social well-being

Social structure constrains or facilitates individual’s ability and opportunity to respond

successfully to social challenges of life. Social stratification and aging are important social
structural aspects of life. Educational attainments and processes of aging affect the
resources and self-conceptions.
Educational attainment launches young adults into specific occupations, affecting what they
earn, their conditions and people they encounter daily. Indirectly through monetary returns,
education determines the quality of one’s housing and neighbourhood. Lower
socioeconomic status has been linked consistently to diminishes physical and mental health,
partially because life at lower socioeconomic levels appears to impair health promoting
self-conceptions.
Whereas higher levels of education should promote social wellbeing, relationship of age to
wellbeing is equivocal. Aging and age differences are not always consistent. For example,
despite the apparent constriction of social position and activity, and the decline in physical
health with age, adults seem to age successfully through several mechanisms.

https://streetcivics.com/what-is-social-wellbeing-and-how-to-achieve-it/
https://www.jstor.org/stable/2787065?typeAccessWorkflow=login

Importance of Social Wellbeing for Individuals

For an individual, social wellbeing can include elements like social acceptance, actualization,
contribution, coherence, and integration. For a community, the term can include factors like
education, health, safety, housing, food and water infrastructure, as well as fair, peaceful
institutions.
Managing social relationships are critical for our physical and mental health and, in essence,
we can view social wellbeing from the perspective of the individual as to how we manage
those relationships.

Human beings are by nature social animals and engaging with others has important
physiological and psychological benefits. For instance, one study conducted by the Canadian
Institute for Advanced Research found that doubling the amount of your friends has the
same impact on happiness as a 50% increase in income!

Research has also shown fascinating links between social wellbeing and health. A study out
of Columbia University showed that social integration was highly correlated with better
recovery for people who had suffered from a stroke. Conversely, the study showed that
social isolation was a high predictor for post-stroke complications.
Similarly, research out of Harvard showed that social integration was correlated with better
memory among the elderly, and those who felt isolated showed more signs of memory loss.

But, social wellbeing doesn’t just depend on having relationships. It also depends on the
quality of the relationships that we have.

One study out of Ohio State University showed that having supportive interactions with a
partner can have benefits for physical healing. The study looked at the rates at which blisters
healed for individuals in relationships. Researchers found that couples who were in hostile
relationships healed at 60% the rate of those in supportive relationships. The study found
that even a single conflict among the couples slowed the healing process.

Understanding the importance of social wellbeing has led many researchers to look for
means by which we can measure social wellbeing and, hopefully, improve it when need be.

While there is no single definition of the term as stated above, one of the most popular
definitions in sociology comes from Corey Lee M. Keyes. Keyes suggested in 1998 that social
wellbeing can be thought of as consisting of five major elements. These include:

● Social acceptance (how we accept others – sometimes thought of as tolerance)

● Social actualization (how much of our potential we feel we are living up to)

● Social contribution (how much we contribute to our communities)

● Social coherence (how much we understand and are in harmony with our
communities)

● Social integration (how much we feel a part of our communities)

These five elements are useful guideposts to improve wellbeing, but it’s important to take
stock of your own life and think about what you consider important to your own wellbeing.
Combining the research with your personal reflection is the most powerful way to improve
your wellbeing.

Achieving Social Wellbeing: Theories and Activities for Individuals

Using the five elements of social wellbeing discussed above, we can design a template for
individuals to improve their wellbeing. Below is a bit more on each of the five aspects and
how to improve upon them.

Social acceptance
Social acceptance is focused on how much we accept others. This may sound easy at first.
Most people don’t think of themselves as judgemental, but the fact is that judging others
often becomes an ingrained response among adults – with distinct brain patterns.

Above we spoke about the impacts of social isolation on individuals, but it’s also important
to note that excluding others can have severe consequences for communities at large too.
The science of acceptance and rejection is a newer field of study but is already making
important discoveries. Research published in Aggressive Behavior, for instance, showed that
in an analysis of 15 school shooters all but 2 of them had faced social exclusion.

With this in mind, here are two ways to be less judgemental and more accepting:

1. Monitor your thoughts in a non-judgemental fashion. Viewing your thoughts

through an objective lens helps disassociate your true beliefs from fleeting
thoughts. So, when you catch yourself judging others, you are better able to
question your assumptions and try to see things from the other person’s
perspective (e.g. maybe they’re having a bad day).

This is the basis of mindfulness meditations and studies show that it does increase
wellbeing. Research done at Duke University, for example, showed that
mindfulness is strongly correlated with better social wellbeing and higher quality
social interactions.

2. Actively look for a positive interpretation of social interactions. ‘Thinking

positive’ may sound like a trite suggestion, but it’s well-known among many in
healthcare that positive thinking has clear consequences for an individual’s
wellbeing and, consequently, their relationships.
 The Mayo Clinic, for example, champions positive thinking as an important way to
combat stress. It’s important to keep in mind that positive thinking doesn’t mean
deluding yourself. It means finding the silver lining in the challenges we face in life
and looking for the positive aspects in those around us.

Social actualization
Social actualization is focused on how much of our potential we are living up to. Naturally,
how much of our potential we are living up to is a question that each individual must answer
for themselves.

A portion of reaching our potential lies with our own efforts. A degree of initiative and
follow-through is necessary to fulfill any amount of potential. It’s equally important to
maintain a growth mindset and make sure that we don’t put limitations ourselves or we may
be giving ourselves an excuse not to take risks – ultimately leading to long-term
dissatisfaction.

On the other hand, it’s important to understand social-political factors may place extra
burdens on individuals. These burdens can bog down efforts at achieving social
actualization.

For example, the ‘school-to-prison’ pipeline has become a well-known social pattern in the
U.S. The term describes the consistent trend of children of color being channeled from
urban public schools to prisons.

Common social patterns playing out among our demographics are important to be conscious
of when we think about our own actualization. While the factors leading to these
circumstances can be systemic, it’s still possible to break free of social habits or the
expectations of those around us in order to reach our potential.

Regardless of your circumstances, here’s two powerful ways to increase your chances of
achieving your goals and fulfilling your potential.

1. Rely on your own experiences and judgment. Abraham Maslow was a famous
psychologist that suggested theories of achieving self-actualization. One
 important attribute that he noticed in the people he studied who were considered
‘self-actualized’ was that they were able to make decisions independent of those
around them and avoid the ‘group think’ mentality. The ability to think
independently can help us avoid limiting our potential and/or can help us break
free of social trends and expectations as discussed above.

2. Visualize your success. This might sound like another trite suggestion, but
visualizing success has been proven to improve performance. One reason
visualizing is important was revealed by a study conducted by Harvard University.
The study showed that our brains don’t distinguish between real memories and
imagined ones. Repetitive visualizations, then, have a similar impact as physically
doing an activity. Research has shown that visualizations can improve everything
from public speaking to athletic performance. One study from the Cleveland
Clinic Foundation even reported that visual workouts actually resulted in
increased muscle gain.

Social Contribution
Social contribution is focused on how much we are giving back to our communities. The
health benefits of contributing to society both through work and volunteering have been
well documented. These activities tend to give participants a sense of purpose, for example,
and a study conducted at Northwestern University showed that having a sense of purpose in
life is correlated with healthier sleeping patterns.

It’s important to note that meaningful purpose can be found outside of our day jobs too;
volunteering is a great way to do this and a proven method of improving our health.

Research done at the City University of Hong Kong found that volunteering had clear
benefits for physical and mental health as well as social wellbeing and life satisfaction.
What’s important to note, however, is that the benefits of volunteering were only felt by
volunteers who were motivated by helping others as opposed to seeking benefits for
themselves.
Sometimes it can be difficult to know just how to get involved though. There are two things
that I would suggest keeping in mind before finding a way to get involved. First, figure out
what would be fun and engaging for you to get involved with. If you have a special skill or
hobby, that’s usually a good place to start so you can search for volunteer opportunities that
will allow you to engage in the activities you already love.
Second, it’s important to remember that consistency is key. Whether it’s daily, weekly,
monthly, or yearly your efforts at giving back to the community compound over time and
with regular engagement.

With that in mind, here are two ways you can find opportunities to get involved in your
community:

1. Idealist.org – a trusted website with many opportunities. I have personally found

jobs and volunteer opportunities off of this site.

2. Volunteermatch.org – is another well-known site. I cannot speak to the platform

personally, however.

Social Coherence
Social coherence refers to our ability to understand and remain in harmony with our
communities. This concept may seem more abstract than previous concepts. But, while
harmony with those around you might seem like it’s in the realm of philosophy or
spirituality, research has shown that even social cohesion can have measurable effects on
the body.

While research in this field is still young, the HeartMath Institute has reported intriguing
findings. Researchers were able to determine that social harmony in relationships correlated
with alignments in heart wavelengths between individuals.

Not only that, but the research showed that, in the context of work environments,
self-regulating emotional responses “combined with heart rhythm coherence training results
in significant improvements in communication, employee satisfaction, productivity,
problem-solving, reduced turnover, and a significant return on investment, both financially
and socially.”
This research suggests that being in harmony with your community and those around you
starts with your emotional responses to social situations. It also concludes that cohesion can
be improved by focusing on your physiological state.

These conclusions are truly groundbreaking; they indicate that we subconsciously pick up on
the physiological states of those around us and that we may be able to change relationships
or interactions by changing our physiology.

With these insights, here are two ways to improve your social coherence:

1. Pay attention to your inner state during social interactions. In the social
acceptance section above we discussed the importance of mindfulness and
reframing social interactions to be positive. These tools are important for building
social coherence as well. The key here is to pay attention to your physiological
state during social interactions.

When you begin to experience negative emotions such as stress, observing your
state objectively and reframing the situation into a positive experience
can alter your physiology and, with practice, can do so almost instantaneously.
Again, while you don’t need to delude yourself into thinking every experience is
positive, what’s necessary is to find the opportunities for growth in difficult
situations. The research from the HeartMath Institute discussed above would
suggest that focusing on these internal states will bring you more into harmony
with others.

2. Practice nonviolent communication. Nonviolent communication is a theory

founded on the idea that all humans have the ability to be compassionate and
empathetic. More to the point, the theory indicates that all human behavior is an
attempt to fill basic human needs and that those needs are never in conflict – only
the strategies to meet those needs are in conflict. Therefore, with the right
communication methods, we can reduce conflict in our relationships.

Marshall Rosenberg is often thought of as the founding father of nonviolent

 communication and puts forward four components to effective interactions:
observation, feelings, needs, and requests. Paying attention to these four
components of social interactions and practicing nonviolent communication has
been proven to improve social cohesion.

One study from the University of San Francisco found that practicing nonviolent
communication improved harmony between a cohort of nursing students as well as
with their patients. Naturally, this has consequences on the level of care patients
receive and the amount of stress nursing students face. If you want to know more
about nonviolent communication, I suggest starting with Rosenberg’s Nonviolent
Communication: A Language of Life: Life-Changing Tools for Healthy Relationships.

Social integration
Social integration is concerned with how much we are accepted by others. In some societies
such as in the U.S., cultures can value the idea that we shouldn’t care what people think of
us. While there is some merit to the notion that the opinions of others shouldn’t impact our
beliefs about who we are, we are social creatures nonetheless and do need to be mindful of
how others see and accept us.

How much we are accepted by others may seem out of our control or may conjure up ideas
of popularity contests. But, introverts and the adorably awkward among us have nothing to
fear – acceptance is just as much in reach for those without the Hollywood charm as it is for
those lucky enough to have it.

Integrating into our communities can be challenging though – even for the most charismatic
among us. Research done in the 1960’s even suggested that gaining the acceptance and the
respect of our peers are inherently at odds with one another. We are, therefore, in a
constant balancing act between gaining affection and winning admiration.

What’s important to note about social integration is that while having more friends has
proven to increase our happiness (discussed above), more often than not those who are
most satisfied in life focus on the quality of relationships as opposed to the quantity.
Maslow noted that self-actualized people often have fewer social connections but tighter
bonds than those who felt more dissatisfied with their lives.
So, how do we build bonds with others? Here are two ways to start:

1. Accept yourself and pursue group activities that you love. Another seemingly
trite suggestion! But, wait! This is hugely important and something that, sadly,
many individuals dismiss. Self-acceptance has been proven to be correlated with
mental health and the quality of wellbeing. Research done at the Canterbury
Christ Church University, for example, showed that mental health disorders such
as depression and severe anxiety are correlated with low self-acceptance.

Self-acceptance has huge consequences for our confidence and, therefore, how
we interact with others. Accepting who you are and what you love to do is a big
first step in getting others to accept us. To work on this, see the mindfulness
suggestion above. Once that’s in progress – seeking out group activities will
inevitably build social connections.

Activities that happen on a regular basis and put you in contact with the same
people consistently who share similar interests as you can be some of the most
valuable types of activities for social wellbeing. It’s been shown that face-to-face
interaction does improve likeability no matter your charm levels.

2. Be vulnerable and make efforts at appreciating others. Here’s a trick that I’ve
learned from some of the most fragile social interactions: make yourself
vulnerable and be willing to show your mistakes. I’ve personally supported and
worked with individuals who negotiate releases of international prisoners of war.
The number one piece of advice from these negotiators? Be vulnerable.

Indeed, there is ample evidence that suggests opening up or making a mistake in

front of others actually makes us more likable. Some research does show that
making a mistake can decrease our likeability if we are not already viewed
favorably. However, other research suggests that the phenomenon even works
with people’s likeability of robots – where people preferred a robot that made
mistakes regularly. This would suggest that being vulnerable helps us be seen as
more human – so no need to be a perfectionist.
 I would, personally, suggest that vulnerability be combined with sincere forms of
admiration. Giving genuine compliments to others has been proven to increase
our likability – so while it’s important to remove our personal defenses first, it’s
also important to look for the good in others.

When we compliment others, studies show that recipients of the compliment and
observers of the interaction associate the traits pointed out with the person that
gave the compliment. In other words, if you tell your coworker how smart they
are – they will inevitably associate you with being smart.

Social Wellbeing for Communities

There is no universal definition or metric for social wellbeing. Many governments have
devised ways of measuring the wellbeing of their citizens that are specific to their countries
and time periods.

For example, the below table shows how three different institutions went about measuring
wellbeing in three different communities at three different times. All are trying to capture
slightly different understandings of wellbeing that are appropriate for their time and
context. The table below lists each factor considered to be a part of wellbeing.

Australia’s welfare Amárach Consulting Index

OECD well-being
indicator of ‘Goodness’ developed
framework (2019)
framework (2017) for Ireland (2002)

People’s personalities
Income and wealth Material living conditions
(pessimistic vs optimistic)

State of health – including

Jobs and earnings Health and vitality
levels of stress

Marital status and family

Housing Work
circumstances
 The local environment in
Health status Personal safety terms of safety and
cleanliness

Work-life balance Environment Financial circumstances

Education and skills Skills and learning Religious beliefs

Civic engagement and

Community engagement Satisfaction at work
governance

Demographic variables such

Environmental quality as age, gender, and
educational qualifications

Personal security

Natural capital

Economic capital

Human capital

Social capital

Subjective well-being

Social connections

There is no right or wrong way to measure wellbeing for communities, but it can still be
done. What’s interesting to note is that the indicators used to measure wellbeing for a
community are more reflective of the institution’s values and mission than the society at
large.
It’s not uncommon for departments or agencies within governments to develop their own
measures of wellbeing. More customized wellbeing indexes allow policymakers to
understand how a specific public service is performing.

For instance, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) created its own index of
wellbeing in order to understand the agency’s impact better. The framework includes eight
domains:

1. Connection to nature

2. Education

3. Health

4. Leisure time

5. Living standards

6. Safety and security

7. Social cohesion

8. Spiritual and cultural fulfillment

Other institutions have pointed out that wellbeing can take on a different meaning
depending on socio-political contexts – specifically in post-conflict environments. The U.S.
Institute of Peace (USIP) put forward a framework for social wellbeing during times of
reconstruction and stabilization in communities.
USIP’s framework simplifies wellbeing into four main categories:

1. Equal access to and delivery of basic needs services (water, food, shelter, and
health services),

2. The provision of primary and secondary education,

3. The return or resettlement of those displaced by violent conflict, and

4. The restoration of social fabric and community life.

In this way, policymakers are better able to prioritize services and resource allocation in
moments when the social fabric is strained and cooperation may be low among community
members.

For policymakers, then, social wellbeing must be understood according to the time and
context in which the trends are being examined. Further, measuring social wellbeing must be
done with organizational missions in mind in order to understand how best to provide
services to the community.

https://positivepsychology.com/social-wellbeing/