Search

When people face difficult life events, such as cancer or bereavement, they fare better when they receive support. These "experiencers" are likely to seek and receive support from a wide range of people, from close others to acquaintances. Indeed, the social support literature has long acknowledged the value of having a diverse support network. Research suggests that experiencers often perceive "weak ties" (i.e., acquaintances) as sources of support, and that experiencers sometimes prefer to get support from weak ties rather than strong ties. Providing support can be challenging for all kinds of supporters, however weak ties may be more likely than strong ties to allow worries about their inability to provide effective support to stop them from providing any support at all, thus depriving experiencers of opportunities for additional support. In this paper, we focus on the fact that often the provision of support occurs via a social interaction. We draw on the social psychology literature on minimal social interactions to suggest reasons why potential weak tie supporters might doubt their ability to provide effective support, and to generate advice to encourage potential supporters to reach out. Finally, we suggest future areas of research, with the ultimate goal of helping to expand the support that is available for people experiencing difficult life events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Meaningfully connecting with others is critical to the well‐being of individuals. What phenomena contribute to and stem from social connection? In this paper, we integrate emerging work that uses neuroimaging and social network analysis with theories that explore the links between shared reality and social connection. We highlight recent work suggesting that the extent to which people have aligned mental processing and shared subjective construals to those around them—as shown by neural similarity—is associated with both objective and subjective social connection. On the other hand, idiosyncrasies are linked to difficulties with social connection. We conclude by suggesting how the links between shared understanding and social connection can be productively used as a framework to study psychosocial phenomena of interest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a call for papers for the special issue of the "Asian Journal of Social Psychology" on social network processes. Potential topics include theoretical, empirical, and methodological issues surrounding social network research and data analysis, and varieties of applications of social network perspectives on such topics as physical and mental health, organizational behavior, community psychology, information technology, and social capital. The submission due date is June 30, 2006.

Dissemination, the second stage of Experimental Social Innovation and Dissemination (ESID) is a critical, if not defining, element of this social change model. This paper attempts to assess the extent to which community psychology has adopted and implemented ESID's dissemination focus in its training and publications. We identify four levels of commitment to dissemination: dissemination advocate, dissemination activist, dissemination researcher, and experimental dissemination researcher. Content analyses of textbooks, journal publications, and conference papers and a brief survey of doctoral training in the field were conducted. Findings suggest that the dissemination aspects of ESID have been modestly and partially implemented within the field. That is, although there is some evidence of a commitment to dissemination practice (advocate, activist), there is much less evidence of a commitment to dissemination research. The implications of these findings for the effectiveness of the ESID model and for training and practice in community psychology are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current paper expands the concept of stressors to include two distinct types: recent (proximal) stressors and more distant (distal) stressors. It then examines the role played by these two types of stressors in an expanded model of the Life stress process. In expanding the life stress model to include stressors occurring over a longer period of time, the paper first examines the ability of distal stressors to increase the variance explained in depressive symptomatology above and beyond that explained by the more traditional model variables: recent stressors and social support. In modeling distal stressors in the life stress process, two models are tested: (1) an independent model in which stressors and resources are examined for their independent effects on distress, and (2) a deterioration model in which stressors are seen to affect subsequent levels of support, which then serve to increase depression. Analysis showed that distal stressors make a significant and independent contribution to explaining variations in depressive symptomatology, above and beyond that explained by more recent stressors and social support. Support was found for both the independent model and the deterioration model of the life stress process. Distal stressors, proximal stressors. and social support have an independent effect on current depression. Further, distal stressors and proximal stressors erode current levels of support, which in turn impact on current levels of depression. The implications of these and other findings are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Psychological studies of relationships tend to focus on specific types of close personal relationships (romantic, parent-offspring, friendship) and examine characteristics of both the individuals and the dyad. This paper looks more broadly at the wider range of relationships that constitute an individual's personal social world. Recent work on the composition of personal social networks suggests that they consist of a series of layers that differ in the quality and quantity of relationships involved. Each layer increases relationship numbers by an approximate multiple of 3 (5-15-50-150) but decreasing levels of intimacy (strong, medium, and weak ties) and frequency of interaction. To account for these regularities, we draw on both social and evolutionary psychology to argue that relationships at different layers serve different functions and have different cost-benefit profiles. At each layer, the benefits are asymptotic but the costs of maintaining a relationship at that level (most obviously, the time that has to be invested in servicing it) are roughly linear with the number of relationships. The trade-off between costs and benefits at a given level, and across the different types of demands and resources typical of different levels, gives rise to a distribution of social effort that generates and maintains a hierarchy of layered sets of relationships within social networks. We suggest that, psychologically, these trade-offs are related to the level of trust in a relationship, and that this is itself a function of the time invested in the relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT This paper considers how our understanding of religious identifications may be enriched through social psychological theorizing on group identity. It reviews a range of work (for example, sociological and social psychological) concerning Islam and Muslim identities and develops the case for viewing religious identities as constructed in and through argument. It then seeks to draw out the implications of such an approach for understanding group relations. Although minority religious identifications are often assumed to undermine social cohesion, the social networks within and between groups can contribute to inter-group harmony. For example, reciprocal relationships characterized by trust and reciprocity can constitute forms of social capital that facilitate civic integration. Yet, how such social networks are used and how relationships are developed depends on group members' understandings of their collective identity. As this is contested, it follows that analyses of intergroup relations must attend to group members' identity-related arguments and the strategic concerns that lie behind them. The utility of this perspective is illustrated briefly with empirical material (arising from interviews conducted with Muslim activists) which hints at the importance of investigating social actors' own theories of social capital and how it can be developed. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AIM: This paper is a report of an analysis of the concept of social isolation as experienced by older adults. BACKGROUND: Social isolation is a serious problem with older adults that is expected to increase in the future. Although strong correlations exist between social isolation and negative health consequences, few interventions exist. One contributing factor to this is a lack of conceptual clarity. DATA SOURCES: The CINAHL, PsycINFO and Medline databases and the Web of Science were searched using the key terms social isolation, social networks, older adults, elderly and social integration for publications between 1983 and 2007. REVIEW METHODS: An evolutionary concept analysis was undertaken. References were read in their entirety and analysed based on the summary of surrogate terms, related concepts, attributes, antecedents and consequences. FINDINGS: Five attributes were identified: number of contacts, feeling of belonging, fulfilling relationships, engagement with others and quality of network members. Antecedents included: lack of relationships, psychological barriers, physical barriers, low financial and resource exchange, and prohibitive environment. Roy's Adaptation Model is proposed as a theoretical context into which social isolation fits. CONCLUSION: Numerous definitions are used to describe social isolation, but they lack uniformity, consistency and clarity; this impairs the further development and refinement of the concept. This concept analysis can offer additional understanding and a starting point for future research related to social isolation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social psychology and social network research are both centrally concerned with human sociality. Despite some historically significant interactions between the two, these areas of investigation have not been usefully deployed together in recent research endeavours. The present paper attempts to bring out some points of both theoretical and methodological contentions, to characterize the gap between them, to traverse briefly the trajectories of their historical development, and to provide some concrete instances of these differences. Intellectual resources available to Asian social psychology are reviewed, which may help bridge the gap between the two areas of research. We conclude by calling for a greater integration of social psychology and social network perspectives in future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is commonly assumed that exposure to terrorism may lead to violent behavior, but there is little empirical research on the relationship between these two variables. In the present paper, we examined the extent to which exposure to terrorism contributes to violent behavior among adolescents. In addition, we considered the role of environmental factors ( domestic and community violence) and personal and environmental resources (family and social support, mastery, hope, and life satisfaction). Two hundred and fifty-four Israeli adolescents residing in areas with different levels of exposure to terrorism completed questionnaires. The findings confirm that exposure to terrorism contributes significantly to violent behavior. Exposure to domestic and community violence and mastery also contributed to explaining the variance in violent behavior, whereas the effects of hope and life satisfaction were indirect, and were expressed only in an interaction with variables of exposure to terrorism. The findings may be helpful in identifying groups at risk for violent behavior, as well as in guiding professionals to moderate and prevent such behavior. The findings also emphasize the impact of security-related stress situations and prolonged exposure to terrorism on manifestations of violence. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper compares six NIMBY (not-in-my-backyard) movement organizations to explain why some of these social movement organizations expanded their goals while others did not. Analysis of interview and survey (N = 113) data reveals that friendship networks within the movement foster goal expansion (in part because people want to preserve the context for these friendships). External local political networks promoting their own rhetorical and resource agendas will inhibit goal expansion if they establish trusted links to the NIMBY organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper questions the conceptions found in the principal theoretical approaches developed within psychological and social sciences to the problem of community and psychological sense of community. Some core assumptions that are recurrent in the various definitions of the concept of community are discussed. From these assumptions stem the idea of community as a sort of ideal-type of the forms that social relationships may take and as a type of social collectivity characterized by a high degree of homogeneity and similarity. With reference to urban contexts, a more encompassing definition of community is needed so that the city may be regarded both as a local community and a local society. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper uses data from an intensive study of Boston's antebellum black community to demonstrate how sustained social activism is embedded in the formal and informal institutions of the community. The social networks of cooperative institutions were primary factors in this community's ability to mobilize and sustain protest actions and to call attention to social injustice. This examination of antebellum black Boston indicates that the issue of slavery was crucial to social activism. This suggests that the presence of a salient issue which links the everyday lives of participants with a public issue may be an important factor in building a social movement based in a poor, relatively powerless community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is an author response to three commentaries, by Robert Kraut and Itamar Rosenn (2012), Barry Wellman (2012) and Mark van Vugt (2012), on our article entitled 'Relationships and the social brain: Integrating psychological and evolutionary perspectives' (Sutcliffe, Dunbar, Binder, & Arrow, 2012). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces a special issue of the journal Personal Relationships dealing with context and relationships. It reflects on the state of the literature and discusses five approaches to the interplay of context and relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]