By Rojina Kandel
A human being is a social animal, and every act of him/her is directly or indirectly connected with society. In general terms, being social is linked with the phenomenon of being responsible to society while performing any activity. In today’s world of social media, many of us have actually become less social in ways that are not only beneficial but essential to our mental and physical well-being. A study from the American Journal of Health Promotion indicated that excessive social media use is one of the biggest risk factors for loneliness.
Family is important because by spending time with family, one can increase happiness and satisfaction. Many studies have shown that spending time with family can help reduce stress and anxiety, lead to a healthier lifestyle and lengthen your life. Family gives you motivation to be the best version of yourself. The benefits of spending time with family are such a critical component of a full, meaningful life. Family get-togethers, especially face-to-face communication, as opposed to digital- significantly reduce the occurrence of depression, anxiety and other mental illness.
Also, children who spend time with their families have less risk of behavioural issues, such as violence and substance abuse. Family is so important when it comes to a child (or teenager) bringing problems to you because your advice can allow them to become better equipped to cope with p[problems and make positive choices. Being with family gives you the feeling of knowing that you belong, you are cared for, and you are needed, which gives a sense of meaning and purpose.
Parents and other family members are often the primary socializing agent, teaching youth the social norms and values and behaviors needed to participate as effective members of a society (Brim, 1966). The family and cultural values important to the family play an important role in helping children experience and interpret the world around them. Specifically, family helps young people/children) to make sense of their own emotions, develop a capacity for self-awareness, and learn to manage and regulate emotions; and feelings) develop, understand and navigate relationships with others, and strengthen social skills for maintaining these relationships) strengthen the cognitive skills needed to approach tasks and achieve goals.
It’s a known fact that the family is the child’s first social setting. Within the family and the family’s cultural context, children quickly learn what is expected of them and learn what it means to be a member of a social group. How families choose to socialize their young people, implicitly and intentionally, is related to their cultural and religious beliefs and values. Particularly, families with highly cohesive, idealized and democratic family styles strongly influence children’s social skills by providing a safe and sound foundation for children to explore their social environment. As we all know, families are considered to be the most important agents of primary socialization. Families are often the first people to teach children their norms, values and beliefs. Families also help to develop levels of trust, independence, and initiative, for example, through demonstrating how to handle social situations). Hence, functionalist sociologists believe that the family is a particularly important institution of socialization as it is the family which performs the crucial functions of socializing the child; the family truly enhances positively the socialization of a child.
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect People’s Review’s editorial stance.
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