Social environment

The social environment, social context, sociocultural context or milieu refers to the immediate physical and social setting in which people live or in which something happens or develops. It includes the culture that the individual was educated or lives in, and the people and institutions with whom they interact.^[1] The interaction may be in person or through communication media, even anonymous or one-way,^[2] and may not imply equality of social status. The social environment is a broader concept than that of social class or social circle.

The physical and social environment is a determining factor in active and healthy aging in place, being a central factor in the study of environmental gerontology.^[3]

Moreover, the social environment is the setting where people live and interact. It includes the buildings and roads around them, the jobs available, and how money flows; relationships between people, like who has power and how different groups get along; and culture, like art, religion, and traditions. It includes the physical world and the way people relate to each other and their communities.^[4]

Components

Physical environment

The physical environment is the ever-changing natural world, including weather, land, and natural resources. Floods or earthquakes can alter the landscape, affecting how plants and animals live. Human interaction with nature can also have an impact. For example, logging can change the weather in that area, pollution can make water dirty, and habitat fragmentation caused by human activity makes it so animals cannot move around as easily, which can cause problems for their families.^[5]

In order to enrich their lives, people have used natural resources, and in the process have brought about many changes in the natural environment. Human settlements, roads, farmlands, dams, and many other elements have all developed through the process. All these man-made components are included in human cultural environment, Erving Goffman in particular emphasising the deeply social nature of the individual environment.^[6] There are still many people living in villages and this is their social environment. A village is a township with production, living, ecology and culture. The state is trying to solve the problem of integrated rural development, which includes construction, expansion, and road building.^[7]

Cultural and societal influence

"Sociocultural" basically means the mix of society and culture that affects how people think, feel, and act, which can also affect our health. It includes things like how wealth, education, career, cultural background, race, ethnicity, language, and beliefs shape people's identity and health.^[8]

Social and interpersonal relationships

Social relations are the connections individuals form with others—such as family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers—that influence emotional well-being and behavior. Sociologist Emile Durkheim thought that if these interactions were disrupted, it could affect how we feel. Social relations can offer emotional or practical support, such as comforting someone when they are sad or helping with chores.^[9]

Interpersonal relationships—emotional and social connections between individuals—can be impacted by mental disorders. For example, some mental disorders may give rise to conflicts with others. These conflicts can appear in different areas of relationships.^[10]

When scientists study how relationships affect human health and behavior, they usually focus on these close relationships, rather than on formal ones like with healthcare providers or lawyers. They are interested in how people interact with their social circle and how it impacts them overall.^[11]

Family relationships

Family relationships are fundamental to an individual's well-being across the lifespan. Supportive family ties provide emotional comfort, practical assistance, and a sense of belonging, all of which contribute to better mental and physical health. Research indicates that individuals with strong family connections experience higher life satisfaction and improved overall health outcomes.^[12] Moreover, perceived family support has been shown to enhance emotional and psychological well-being by fostering positive emotions and social interactions.^[13]

Work relationship

Work friendships are special connections between people at work. They are important because they affect the people involved and the company they work for. Friendships at work play a big role in how well someone does their job and how motivated they are. These relationships can be complicated, happening both at work and outside of it, and they can be good or bad. Not having any work friends can make someone feel really lonely and left out.^[14]^{[better source needed]}

Religious relationship

Religion can have a significant impact on relationships. Couples who share the same religious beliefs can find comfort and support in their faith. For example, they might pray together when they are arguing, which can help them deal with their feelings. Studies have shown that couples who pray together tend to focus more on what they have in common rather than their own individual worries. Having a strong religious foundation can also help couples get through difficult situations, like cheating. They might feel like their relationship is special because they believe it is part of God's plan for them. Overall, when couples share the same religious beliefs, it can make it easier for them to talk about their faith and support each other in their relationship.^[15]^{[better source needed]}

Sexual and intimate relationships

A sexual relationship, also called an intimate relationship, is when two people have a close bond either physically or emotionally. Intimacy usually means being close in a special way, and while it often involves sex, it can also happen in relationships without any sexual attraction, like between friends or family members.^{[citation needed]}

Importance of positive social environments and relationships for parents

Where a child grows up and goes to school has a big impact on who they become friends with and how good those friendships are. Most of the time, kids make friends with people in their family or neighborhood. So, where parents choose to live, work, and send their kids to school can affect how healthy and happy their children are.^[16]

Solidarity

People with the same social environment often develop a sense of social solidarity; people often tend to trust and help one another, and to congregate in social groups. They will often think in similar styles and patterns, even though the conclusions which they reach may differ.

Milieu/social structure

C. Wright Mills contrasted the immediate milieu of jobs/family/neighborhood with the wider formations of the social structure, highlighting in particular a distinction between "the personal troubles of milieu" and the "public crises of social structure".^[17]

Emile Durkheim took a wider view of the social environment (milieu social), arguing that it contained internalized expectations and representations of social forces/social facts:^[18] "Our whole social environment seems to be filled with forces which really exist only in our own minds"^[19] – collective representations.

Phenomenology

Phenomenologists contrast two alternative visions of society, as a deterministic constraint (milieu) and as a nurturing shell (ambiance).^[20]

Max Scheler distinguishes between milieu as an experienced value-world, and the objective social environment on which we draw to create the former, noting that the social environment can either foster or restrain our creation of a personal milieu.^[21]

Social surgery

Pierre Janet saw neurosis in part as the product of the identified patient's social environment – family, social network, work etc. – and considered that in some instances what he termed "social surgery" to create a healthier environment could be a beneficial measure.^[22]

Similar ideas have since been taken up in community psychiatry and family therapy.^[23]

References

^ Barnett, E; Casper, M (2001). "A definition of "social environment"". Am J Public Health. 91 (3): 465. doi:10.2105/ajph.91.3.465a. PMC 1446600. PMID 11249033.
^ Marjorie Taylor, Imaginary Companions (1999) p. 147
^ Sanchez-Gonzalez, D (2015). "Physical-social environments and aging population from environmental gerontology and geography. Socio-spatial implications in Latin America". Revista de Geografía Norte Grande. 60: 97–114. doi:10.4067/S0718-34022015000100006.
^ Genes, behavior, and the social environment: moving beyond the nature/nurture debate. Washington, D.C: National Academies Press. 2006. ISBN 978-0309101967.
^ "Physical Environment: Examples & Types | StudySmarter". StudySmarter UK. Retrieved April 4, 2024.
^ Erving Goffman, Relations in Public (1972) p. 296
^ Liu, Fulong; Lin, Baogang; Meng, Kun (February 23, 2023). "Design and Realization of Rural Environment Art Construction of Cultural Image and Visual Communication". International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 20 (5): 4001. doi:10.3390/ijerph20054001. ISSN 1660-4601. PMC 10001604. PMID 36901011.
^ Gonzalez, Patricia; Birnbaum-Weitzman, Orit (2020), "Sociocultural", in Gellman, Marc D. (ed.), Encyclopedia of Behavioral Medicine, Cham: Springer International Publishing, pp. 2105–2107, doi:10.1007/978-3-030-39903-0_1511, ISBN 978-3-030-39903-0, retrieved April 4, 2024
^ Cash, Elizabeth; Toney-Butler, Tammy J. (2024), "Social Relations", StatPearls, Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing, PMID 28613794, retrieved April 4, 2024
^ Griffin, John B. (1990), Walker, H. Kenneth; Hall, W. Dallas; Hurst, J. Willis (eds.), "Interpersonal Relationships", Clinical Methods: The History, Physical, and Laboratory Examinations (3rd ed.), Boston: Butterworths, ISBN 978-0-409-90077-4, PMID 21250156, retrieved April 4, 2024
^ "Social Relationship". www.sociologyguide.com. Retrieved April 4, 2024.
^ Grevenstein, Dennis; Bluemke, Matthias; Schweitzer, Jochen; Aguilar-Raab, Corina (June 1, 2019). "Better family relationships––higher well-being: The connection between relationship quality and health related resources". Mental Health & Prevention. 14: 200160. doi:10.1016/j.mph.2019.200160. ISSN 2212-6570.
^ An, Jing; Zhu, Xuanyu; Shi, Zhan; An, Jinlong (April 2, 2024). "A serial mediating effect of perceived family support on psychological well-being". BMC Public Health. 24 (1): 940. doi:10.1186/s12889-024-18476-z. ISSN 1471-2458. PMC 10986067. PMID 38566105.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI (link)
^ "Why is building great work relationships important? - Employsure". employsure.com.au. Retrieved April 4, 2024.
^ "Why religious compatibility matters in relationships". Deseret News. February 1, 2024. Retrieved April 4, 2024.
^ vmc (April 19, 2010). "Parenting, social environment and child development | myVMC". Healthengine Blog. Retrieved April 4, 2024.
^ Quoted in Peter Worsley ed., The New Modern Sociology Readings (1991) p. 17
^ P. Hamilton ed., Emile Durkheim: Critical Assessments, Vol I (1990) p. 385-6
^ Emile Durkheim, The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life (1971) p. 227
^ John O'Neill, Sociology as a Skin Trade (1972) p. 174-5
^ Jörg Dürrschmidt, Everyday Living in the Global City (2000) p. 47
^ Henri Ellenberger, The Discovery of the Unconscious (1970) p. 380-1
^ R. Skynner/J. Cleese, Families and How to Survive Them (1993) p. 94