Learning About:
Social Connections
Lourdes A. D. de la Cruz
Introduction
Who are the important people in your life? How often do you contact or talk with them? Who do you call when a happy event happened or if you felt sad or tense? These persons are part of our social connections. They form our social support system.
Other people are important in our lives at any age (Chapell, Gee, McDonald, & Stones, 2003). Our social connections are related to our health and well being. Studies have shown that the kinds of relationships and the number of social relationships contribute to our well being (Seeman, 2000; Stroebe, 2000; Vanderhorst & McLaren, 2005).
Examples of relationships and connections are:
- Kin - spouse, children, grandchildren, siblings
- Friends
- Community based groups
- Professional or interest groups
- Religious or church based groups
- Acquaintances