What do you mean by social well being?
Social wellbeing is a sense of involvement with other people and with our communities. Many researchers believe that wellbeing is not just about being happy or content, but also about being actively engaged with life and with other people.
What is the physical health?
It is the soundness of the body, freedom from disease or abnormality, and the condition of optimal well-being. It is when the body is functioning as it was designed to function. Note that we are talking about physical health, as opposed to mental or emotional health.
What is the definition of emotional well being?
Emotional well–being is a term that has seen increasing use in recent decades. The implications of decreased emotional well–being are related to mental health concerns such as stress, depression, and anxiety.
Concepts of social wellbeing and its relationship to mental wellbeing
Social wellbeing, or the lack of it, is familiar to public health professionals in the context of social and income equality, social capital, social trust, social connectedness and social networks.
These concepts are set primarily in the context of social policy and social interactions at community or societal level. Mental wellbeing, as previously defined, includes another aspect of social wellbeing – good relationships with others on a one-to-one, small group or family level.
All these aspects of social wellbeing are known to have a profound effect on mental health and wellbeing individually and collectively. What is not so widely appreciated is the reverse relationship.
Mental wellbeing includes the capacity to make health and happiness enhancing relationships with others. People with mental wellbeing know themselves and their needs, have clear boundaries, relate to others using the skills of emotional literacy and accept and manage conflict without manipulation or coercion.
People with mental wellbeing are also generous, wise and compassionate. They make good decisions on behalf of others. It therefore follows that promoting the mental wellbeing of all, particularly of those who are in positions of power, is an important approach to preventing social inequality and unhealthy policy.
Mental and social wellbeing are thus closely interrelated but distinct concepts, which often appear muddled together in the literature.
FPH’s concept of mental and social wellbeing addresses this bi-directional relationship, defining mental wellbeing as the attributes of the individual and social wellbeing as the attributes of ‘others’ collectively. In this framework, mental and social wellbeing can be seen as follows:
Mental wellbeing includes the capacity to:
- realise our abilities, live a life with purpose and meaning, and make a positive contribution to our communities
- form positive relationships with others, and feel connected and supported
- experience peace of mind, contentment, happiness and joy
- cope with life’s ups and downs and be confident and resilient
- take responsibility for oneself and for others as appropriate.
It is:
- more than the absence of mental illness/disorder; it represents the positive side of mental health and can be achieved by people with a diagnosis of mental disorder
- inextricably linked with individuals’ physical wellbeing
- inextricably linked, as both cause and effect, with social wellbeing
Individual mental wellbeing is personal and therefore unique. It cannot be given – it needs to be developed by each individual for themselves, but others both individually and collectively can support or hinder this process.
For most individuals, the direction of travel includes the development of the skills and attributes of:
- psychological wellbeing (self-confidence, agency, autonomy, positive focus and optimism);
- emotional intelligence (relationship skills); and
- the capacity to experience happiness and contentment (sometimes called subjective wellbeing or life satisfaction).
Social wellbeing is:
- the basis for social equality, social capital, social trust
- the antidote to racism, stigma, violence and crime.
It depends on:
- the sum of individual mental wellbeing in a group, community or society
- the quality of government – local, organisational, national and international
- the quality of services and provision of support for those in need
- the fair distribution of resources including income
- the norm with regard to interpersonal relationships in a group, community or society, including respect for others and their needs, compassion and empathy, and authentic interaction.
Hierarchically held power in families, communities, workplaces, schools or government is particularly potent in this regard, and respectful, compassionate, authentic government, families and organisations are important in the creation of collective mental wellbeing.
Both mental and social wellbeing are also dependent on:
- heading 6 the quality of the environment – natural and built cultural and social norms.
1) WHO. Strengthening mental health promotion. Geneva, World Health Organization, 2001: Fact sheet, No. 220.
2) Aked J, Marks N, Cordon C, and Thompson, S. (2008). Five Ways to Wellbeing: The evidence. London. NEF.
Source: 2010 Faculty of Public Health
