Social well-being: concept, main indicators and approach to study

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:41

People are social beings who are interdependent, they are used to relying on others for their own well-being. To be a happy person, you need to love and be loved. We must belong not only to ourselves, but also to someone else. The worst form of punishment in our society is solitary confinement.

People in solitary confinement for long periods of time experience psychological trauma that can lead to hallucinations, panic attacks, paranoia, increased heart rate, hypersensitivity to external stimuli, and cognitive impairment. While a few people do well, most people can't get over being alone for any extended period of time.

The concept of social well-being

This term primarily refers to the degree to which you feel a sense of belonging to society and social integration. Lifestyle, waysliving together, value systems, traditions and beliefs are important to our social well-being and quality of life. With so many diverse cultures in our environment, there are ample opportunities to participate in groups, programs, or cross-cultural activities. The feeling of unity with one's own culture can be very useful for social well-being, it is an opportunity to enjoy the art of the native environment, culture and traditions.

In addition to its positive impact on well-being, social contacts can help build a career, as well as enhance personal creativity and self-expression. Participation in various cultural activities within the community is not only beneficial for the he alth and happiness of an individual, but also for the social well-being of the population as a whole. That is why the preservation of culture, traditions and other spaces for communication between people is an important task.

Intellectual component

Factors of social intelligence, including emotional intelligence, morality, nurture, empathy, adaptability and altruism, are important for improving social well-being. Social welfare is also linked to things like freedom, trust and equal rights.

Social he alth concept

It has been statistically proven that people with good social connections tend to be he althier and live longer than those who do not.

Social he alth comes from regular, positive social contact with family, friends, neighbors. Group affiliation and social contact can also arise through participation in sports clubs, community groups, voluntary organizations, churches, political parties, clubs for people with special interests, hobbies, and so on. Schools, gyms, swimming pools, libraries, and community events (such as fairs and markets) provide opportunities for increased social contact. In addition, local restaurants, cafes, bars, pubs and clubs are places to meet other people, and visiting them also has a positive effect on our social well-being.

In The Loss of Happiness in Market Democracies, Robert E. Lane, Professor Emeritus of Political Science at Yale University, found that much of the research on social capital over the past few years shows that social ties not only affect our personal well-being, but also to social success. He notes that as we alth grows in a society, social solidarity decreases. Happiness not only declines, people become more distrustful not only of each other, but also of their own political institutions. Lane argues that we must change our priorities - increase the level of social contacts and communication, even at the risk of reducing our income.

Social Status

Our role and status in society also play an important role insocial well-being. Status is a fundamental need, but real status comes not from what you have, but from what you do. In a materialistic and consumerist world, we often judge a person's status by what they have. But people can acquire we alth in dysfunctional, destructive, immoral, and even criminal ways.

Status anxiety

Status is a natural human need. The problem is that the nature of status has changed as society has changed. Before the capitalist revolution, people were born with a status that was assigned to them for life. If you were a member of the royal family, you would remain one, and so on. There have always been exceptions to this rule, but their number has consistently remained small.

The concept of "social well-being" also characterizes the presence of a certain status that would satisfy the pride of a person. Today we live in a much more egalitarian society than at any time in history. People who find themselves in a capitalist democracy are free to "do good" as they see fit. One of the problems is that there are too many people who can acquire a lot of material we alth.

Because our society is subject to feelings of envy and rivalry. Human nature seeks to compete and dominate, especially with those close to us - family, friends, neighbors and colleagues. From an evolutionary point of view, thisgood, because in this way the survival of the fittest was ensured. But in the modern world, such instincts have a negative impact on the socio-economic well-being of the whole society.

Status tags

People tend to over-consume these days. Big houses, sports cars, designer brands and endless pairs of new shoes tell the world you've "done good."

However, the creation and availability of material we alth does not indicate the real status. It is only indicated by what you do, not by what you have. People can get rich by doing decent things, and people get rich by doing destructive, sometimes criminal things. Drug dealers, pedophiles, and bad parents can have expensive foreign cars and designer shoes. Even if you feel good on a personal level, your social well-being may still be in doubt.

Factors that harm social well-being

Violent conflict can create humanitarian crises and cause massive damage to civilians. These crises are related to the lack of water, food and shelter. Large-scale population displacement and the absence of critical he alth services, among many other problems they create, are also undermining the social well-being of young people.

As families struggle to survive during and after violent conflict, the "social fabric" of society can be torn apart, plunging the country into civil war. land disputes,water, crops, pasture rights, marriage, inheritance and other problems between people and within communities usually arise in disadvantaged countries and begin to threaten the whole world.

Schools may be closed or destroyed. Children may have missed years of schooling and many may be denied the opportunity to enter primary school. The infrastructure of important social services could be destroyed, ports, roads and basic utilities affected. All studies of social well-being show that such problems begin with "little things" - with a low level of solidarity, a material gap between different sections of society, cultural, political and economic decline. More and more political scientists, philosophers and sociologists are calling on the powers that be to think about the fundamental problems that are at the root of all world catastrophes and social explosions.

Cure for civil war

The rulers of states should take care not only of high-quality bureaucratic institutions, but also of creating strong social ties - both within society itself and with the rest of the world. Communication with the whole world insures a country that has suffered from the negative consequences of low social well-being.

Immediately after a violent conflict (if not avoided after all), international assistance may be needed to meet the basic needs of the population, address return and resettlement issues for refugees and internally displaced persons, andalso promoting development and reconciliation at the community level. Since the host country may not be able to solve these problems on its own.

The role of international actors

If a country has not been able to provide its population with an adequate level of social well-being, then representatives of international organizations should work in its government structures, helping to maintain the legitimacy of its government and advising it on all important socio-economic issues. Since social well-being in Russia, unfortunately, is still far from ideal, the help of international organizations and the experience of Western countries is still relevant for her.