Social Psychology Health Model - Article Example

? SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY HEALTH MODEL INTRODUCTION Research has shown that there is a strong relationship between levels of sport, team identification and social psychological well-being of sport players and their fans. For the fans, they have better social connections if they support a more popular team and one that actually wins. The players enjoy a great deal of good health when they belong to popular and ever winning teams as this motivates them to keep fit so that they can maintain the good image of their teams (Compton, 2005). Social scientists have argued that when an individual identifies with a well established social group, they expand their social circle which eventually leads to the existence of psychological help when needed and a more mentally stable and healthy individual. One scientist was quoted saying that “positive social relationships comprise one of the core variables that best predict happiness and satisfaction with life.” This is to mean a social person that is more likely to be happier than the one who isolates himself from others. This is because sharing life experiences and spending time with friends gives a sense of belongingness and appreciation, something that one cannot acquire by himself (Compton, 2005). When one associates with a successful team, he feels that in a way he is associated with the team. He psychologically believes that the team is an extension of who he really is hence leading to high self esteem and confidence. The social connections of such an individual increase more rapidly especially if they live in an area where there are more supporters of that team. This goes hand in hand with the fact that involvement in leisure activities also improves an individual’s popularity and social networks are expanded. Research further indicates that an individual feels psychologically threatened when the popularity of their team starts to decline as they view this as a threat to their own popularity. This also leads to poor psychological health as such individuals live for the fame that they gain by supporting a particular sports team (Compton, 2005). There are many things that can hinder researchers from carrying out an extensive and full coverage research. One of these limitations is the availability of people to answer the required questions. Most of the respondents are likely to be young people, most of who are in school. It might prove too difficult to have the full attention of students to answer questions relating to their interest in sports and how it affects their popularity in school. Another factor is that costs incurred when carrying out the research. This may include travel costs and payments to the interviewers. Lack or insufficient availability of financial resources may eventually lead to a researcher not carrying out an extensive research as was earlier agreed upon (Compton, 2005). Researchers also need to investigate other areas that affect social psychological health of an individual as it is not only popularity that affects an individual. These areas include an individual’s personality, self esteem and ability as well as the interest of relating with those around him. It is not enough for a person to be popular while they lack the self esteem needed to be around people and communicate with others. They also need to have a good personality where they do not look down upon others because of individual, social or economic differences. Researchers should therefore focus on how the lack of these areas affects a popular individual and the effects it has on them psychologically (Compton, 2005). The text discusses various concepts, among them being social connections, social well-being, social capital and team identification. All these concepts are interrelated as they all contribute to the social psychological health of an individual. The term team identification refers to how an individual relates with his favorite sports team. He identifies himself with it and is most likely to relate socially with people who identify with the same team. It’s important for the researchers to identify teams that people love and want to be associated with so that they can evaluate the importance of that team identification to an individual. This can be done through questionnaires that are availed to the interviewees and they can respond at their own time (Compton, 2005). Social connections emerge when a person identifies himself with a popular and successful team. The individual becomes popular hence his social network expands. He is able to create more social ties with people who identify with the same team and most likely live in the same area or attend the same school. This establishment of social connections eventually leads to a bigger social circle where one can get psychological support when needed and has people to spend time with instead of being an island. This also enhances the mental health and stability of a person. This concept can be applied to the text in the sense that the results of team identification are known and assessed to know how they impact on an individual’s life both in the short run and in the long run (Compton, 2005). Social connections lead to enhanced social well being where an individual has increased self esteem and level of confidence. One is able to enjoy the benefits of having friends around him, especially now that they are people who have similar interests. An individual’s well being is enhanced when they know that they are appreciated, wanted and loved by those around them. to this text, social connections can be used to establish how far an individual can be willing to go to maintain social networks and maintain the already established relationships (Compton, 2005). The term social capital refers to the benefits that an individual gains due to established social connections. This entails the economic benefits that befalls one when their social circle has well to do people or they themselves are financially stable. It has to do with the change of dressing, the places that one hangs out at and their general mode of behavior. Newly acquired status can affect an individual either positively or negatively. It is necessary for researchers to have adequate knowledge of the impacts of the social capital of an individual. This will enable them to know how newly acquired social status changes an individual’s personality (Compton, 2005). From a personal perspective, the effect of team identification on an individual all depends on how well one is able to handle their newly acquired position in the society. The social psychology of an individual is affected not only by their established social networks but also by an individual’s personality. It is also important to note that a team’s decreased level of performance will not affect its supporters immediately but it will take time before one changes their identity and support to another team. During this duration, however it is very likely that a person’s popularity will have decreased. Another factor that leads to increased social connections is the attending of sporting events organized by the team that one is supporting. Researchers need to evaluate the general impact of big social circles on a person. The results may be that an individual feels more highly celebrated and famous. However, one fact still remains that when one identifies himself with a successful and popular team, they acquire increased social networks and they are able to stand and in a way command a great number of gathering (Compton, 2005). REFERENCES Compton, W. C. (2005). An Introduction to Positive Psychology, Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth. Read More