ShareKUWAIT: “Friendship is considered one of the social needs of individuals.” This is what Sociologist and Psychologist Dr Mona Al-Enezi highlighted during an interview with Kuwait Times about the unique connection that friendships hold to nourish our souls and its profound impact on our well-being.
Human connections are based on social psychology
According to Dr Enezi, humans are inherently social beings who are influenced by the community and in turn, influence others. “Social psychology examines this influence and specifically focuses on how individuals are affected by the presence of others. It seeks to understand the degree of influence that individuals have in relationships. For instance, throughout our lives, we seek out role models and learn behaviors from them. This can be easily indicated among children who copy behaviors of their parents, peers or others whom they stay with for a long time. Hence they play a significant role in shaping their personalities,” she said.
Dr Enezi also highlighted that during adolescence, friends have a crucial impact on shaping thoughts and beliefs, which in some cases needs involvement and monitoring from an adult, especially parents. However, in adulthood, choosing friends is attributed to an individual’s social intelligence.
Friendships are fundamental
Dr Enezi shed light on Maslow’s hierarchy of humans’ needs, which supports the idea that making friends is an essential social need for individuals. It highlights the importance of friendships and their role in providing emotional support for individuals to achieve emotional well-being. Thus, friends often serve as an important support system in our lives for providing emotional support, understanding and encouragement during both good and challenging times.
They can help us navigate through difficulties, offer advice and provide a listening ear when we need to talk, which makes them an essential contributor to our overall well-being and happiness. Dr Enezi concluded that human relationships are considered one of the most unique aspects of life, requiring individuals to enhance their emotional and social skills in order to maintain genuine friendships and avoid disappointment or exploitation due to setting unrealistic expectations or engaging in an unhealthy connection.
