Social Integration, Social Relationships, and Stress

Social relationships allow individuals to share common experiences, as well as providing a sense of meaning in life. Social relationships offer a feeling of belonging and safety, yet they can also be a source of conflict and stress as individuals age. Integration and affiliation with particular social groups are essential for physical and psychosocial well-being at all ages. Changes in the amount and types of stress associated with social integration and social relationships result from environmental factors, such as neighborhood context, that impact the availability of coping resources and challenge the further development of successful coping abilities essential to well-being. The life course perspective provides a framework by which scholars study individuals, social paths, and environments in order to gain insight into stress, coping mechanisms, and the complexities of social integration through social relationships. Keywords: integration; life course sociology; neighborhoods; social support; stress