The Process Of Building Social Relationships
A social relationship is an interaction of two or people, also a social group. They are believed to shape the behavior of individuals in different ways, as the saying goes, ‘show me your friends and I tell you your character’. At some point most people especially the women and also research shows that social relationships reduce pain. When women are in a relationship they are happy because they have someone to lean on. Social support is seen as a very important factor for both physical and mental health. Stressful and painful experiences can be reduced through engaging in social relationships as one will get moral support and encouragement thus is able to face the problems easily. Building social relationships begins as early as at birth. That is the relation of the child with the mother and the other family members. The process does not stop there but goes to the society as one grows up and becomes able to decide where he or she wants to belong.
In the past building social relationships was much easier because most of the properties were communally owned that is to say that they shared a lot and thus interaction was easy and regular. Newman (2009) observes that the 21st century time is challenging and strange when it comes to deciding the kind of relationships one should have in creating a foundation of ones social life. People may want to be in social relationships due to different reason. For example may be one want to benefit from the other and after getting what he or she wanted it comes to a time to withdraw. All the same it is important to note that building social relationships is very necessary to every individual.
When building social relationships one must have the social interaction skills. These are behavior that help one be able to stick to the social relationship because they keep you out of trouble and avoid conflicts. According to Bellini (2006) social skills are behavior that are learned and are socially accepted that help a person to be able to interact with other people without negative responses. He also notes that these skills the building blocks of a successful social relationships. This skills are usually taught by the parent to there children at a tender age. All the same as one grows into an adult basically the very skills are still applicable in building social relationship.
Another thing that comes along in building social relationships is the art of being friendly to all. Every day we meet different people with different personalities. It is therefore up to us to be able to fit and interact freely. We should have friendly skills like greeting people when we meet, be able to offer a sit to someone, shake hands, say words like thank you, am sorry, excuse me, please and many other ways that is friendly. Be able to treat people the same way you would want them to treat you. As the saying goes: “put yourself in one’s shoes”. In this way one is able to interact freely without many difficulties thus building social relationships.
The factor of age or we can also say peer group also is important in building social relationships. This will help connectivity to be much easier because people of the same age tend to think more alike. Meersman and Tari (2003) observe that communication between people of the same peer group is easy and they refer this to architecture of communication. Here what they simply mean is that the construction of communication in such a social group is well defined. These categories of people include; the children, teenagers, young adults, adults and the old. Social relationships are based in this age set and you find they all act in the same manor.
In the various societies that exit today we have social institutions and community organizations that play a major role in building social relationships. The family is usually seen as the most important social institution in the society because this is where one builds the foundation of his or her social life. We have other institutions like; religious institution for example the church, temple, and mosque. The school, hospital, peer groups, community based organizations, and not forgetting the working places. These are places where people from different back grounds meet and get to know each other thus interact. It is therefore important for people to always belong to one or as many as possible of any this groups.
We build social relationships to understand the knowledge of the mind. This helps us to continually monitor or check our own behavior and also be able to predict the behavior of those that we interact with. Bellini (2006) notes that the theory of the mind was coined by Permack and Woodruff (1978).this refers to the ability of one to understand and explain the things that are not seen I a person directly. These include feelings, thoughts, beliefs, desire, and intentions. He continues to say that knowledge of the mind is a successful component of building social relationships.
In building social relationship the element of trust is necessary. Once an individual decides to get involved with a particular social group it automatically means that he or she trusts the people they are interacting with and they too trust them. This is so because when one gets a problem for example, it will need someone trust worthy to talk to. One who will keep your talk confidential. These kinds of people are the people we interact with daily and we have had enough time together so we are so familiar with them.
Language is an aspect that is of value in that people look at in building social relationships. People can only interact well when a common language is used. This enhances good communication and understanding in the group. Gee (2005) also sees language as an important aspect in social relationships. He further notes that in the interaction process people need to use the same social language. Different social groups have different social language. For example, children, adolescents, adults and the old all have different social languages that they use.
In building social relationships people also base in there social values. These social values include things like sex, beliefs, roles, and even structures. Depending on these values different social groups are formed. One would want to fit in a group that he or she will feel comfortable and proud to be there. It will help them to be constructive and optimistic. These values also help shape there daily life to there own interest thus happy people.
Social relationships are also built basing on the family origin, unconscious motives, one’s habits, personality, and relationships and life experiences. For the sake of a social relation lasting there is need to match this concepts to each person. This will ensure stability of the group by avoiding constant movement of members in search of a group where they best fit or that they find suitable to them.
Change is inevitable in life and we as human beings should be able to adapt to the daily changes of life. When building social relationships people are expected to witness a lot of change in the social group. It can either be the members or that group itself changes. When this happens it is up to the social group to accept and adjust to the change rather than moving to another new social group. It does not have to be the same through out and that is why the members of a particular social group have to be always flexible.
According to Young (1990) the social life of morality is not found in an individual person because it is comprised of a small structure of the self. He instead say that social morality is found in the relationship between individuals and the society. Here is where things like belief, trust and faith are found. It is also believe to shape human behavior so as to know good and evil. One will stay away from evil so as to belong to the society.
Transparency is an important element in building social relationships. Because there is the element of trust people should be open in with they are doing in life. The issue of ‘you cannot judge a book by its cover’ should not arise. Openness should be evident. Let the people know you as you are both in the inner self and outside and this should be the same. Activities of the group should also be carried out in a transparent manner as well, without having anything to hide.
The need for human relation is also the reason for building social relationships. Every human being was created in such a way that they always have a sense of wanting to relate in any way. They a want to belong in a particular group or with other people apart from the self. These relations are a basic to every individual in life.
The importance / advantages
The study of Newnan (2009) shows that building social relationships plays an important role in group ties in people’s daily life. He gives an example of Japan and India where people consider duty and sacrifice more than individual achievement or personal success. they believe that group connections is the best foundation for any individual wellbeing because it come along with things like loyalty, connection with people , responsibility of one self and other people as well and it also creates a sense of belonging.
Building social relationships bring come with a lot of changes in the society. These changes include both individual development and the community at large. Rosenberg and Rehr (1983) say that the involvement of one in institutions like self help groups, social work, church, school and being close to your family helps reduce conflicts and they bring about development. This is through coming together to do social work or fund raising contributions and even come together to advocate for changes in health care policies. Through this development the people are assured of a better living.
Building social relationships also promote peace love harmony and unity in the society. This is true because people living together and there social life is well build up will not have conflicts. They appreciate each other and offer moral support to one another. Such a society will always it together as one and solve issues that may arise in a more organize way.
Building social relationships is important in everyone’s life. This is because in times of depression and stress one always needs someone to talk to and relieve the burden. This now where the people you have been interacting with come in to offer that moral support. Just as we know that this an important factor both in physical and mental health of a person. Frumkin, Frank, & Jackson (2004) note that social bond known to be a very important component of good health. They further state that isolation and loneliness are toxic while on the other hand social relationships are healthy.
The 21st centaury has come along with diseases that are complicated. Some of these diseases include, stomach ulcers depression and many others. These diseases are not diseases that one can say that you go to the hospital and get treatment then you are cured. Doctors recommend that these diseases are controlled by the individual. The way one interacts with other people really matters. To avoid these kinds of diseases researchers indicate that one should build up as many social relationships as possible. This helps one to be able to avoid these diseases by sharing out there problems. As we know that a problem shared is a problem half solved.
Building social relationships also help people get to know each other well and lead to marriages. People get to find there perfect pairs and choose to spend the rest of there life with them. This leads to the creation of happy marriages and also happy families. Getting a life time partner is not an easy task as we all know but as one builds his or her social relationship in a good way, there potentials are noticed and they attract someone thus they propose and marry. Making them live happily ever after.
Building social relationships help a person to have good problem solving abilities. It also helps one to think in a more flexible manor. This is basically important in the early stages of life and the parents have the task of ensuring that there children’s social life is good. The kind of games that a child plays and with who becomes the main issue that a parent should look at with keenness. This kind of interaction is what the child will live to adopt even as he grows older.
People with stronger social network live longer. Research show that the mortality rate is determined by the social network of people in a place. This is true as social net work improves the health status of an individual. That togetherness gives an individual a reason for living. Research also indicate that in looking at two different sets of people, That is one in a marriage life and one who is single, they found that people in marriage live longer than people who are single. This is because in a marriage there is sharing of problems and also constant moral support.
All human beings emotions are believed to be able to change another person’s motives and feelings. In the process of building social relationships important factors such as this arises. Emotions are inter-personal and con not therefore be separated from the process of relating. These relationships change the feelings of a person in a positive direction. Bad people change and become good people with moral. The society is always there to encourage people to do good for the benefit of both the society and most importantly to the individual as a person.
Building social relationships also come with some form of organization. The relationship it self shows that there was cooperation that triggered it. When we look at it in terms of a society we find that things are done in a systematic way. There is order of the way issues are handled and a systematic way of doing thing. These in the long run avoid conflicts and the wastage of resources in the social group.
Employment is created by building a social relation ships. This is mostly through net working or it can as well be through the formation of self help groups or social work. Employment means that one has a source of earning a living thus assured of daily bread. This promotes the living standards of an individual as well as the society at large. It reduces the problem of unemployment in the society.
Building social relationships also reduce the aspects of immorality, theft, murder and all other devices that one can think of. This is true because social relationships in a society are meant to shape the morals of every individual. People become responsible for their own actions in life
In conclusion therefore we can say that building social relationships is an inevitable process in the life of every person. This is so because it begins from birth. When a child is born that is when it begins to build its social relationship. At this point it is limited to the family level mostly influenced by the mother. This is the foundation and parents are careful. As one grow he or she now able to look at which social relation group he best fits. This as we have seen shape the personality of the individual into a better being. Going to social institutions such as the school, church and others also ply a major role in the individual. Social relationships cannot be avoided in whatever way and people should always be ready to be involved in them with a positive attitude.
