Author: Ushna Nawaz
Social
support is described as the effort which advances the aims of the receiver of
support (Caplan, 1979). Support from the main group that cares for health
through the duration of stress (Cassel, 1976). Social support is support from
related and respected people. Emotive support, influential support,
informational support, and consideration are involved in it (Gottlieb, 1985).
Social
support is not only helping to deal with challenges or to make us feel better
but also helps us to enriched health which involves physical fitness,
psychological condition, and overall well-being. Thus social support stays
significant for a good life. Mostly health results such as mental modification,
enhanced effectiveness, using improved coping strategy when facing offensive
situations, fighting with illness, retrieval after illness, and decline
humanity are related to social support.
Social
support has a significant association with self-esteem; hence, it also has an
impact on the post-traumatic growth of an individual. Bhatt (2017) examined the
association between social support and self-esteem. In this research
seventy-five participants were selected for data collection. The result
indicated a positive correlation among all dimensions of social support and
self-esteem. The conclusion of the study validates that social support impacts
self-esteem.
A
person’s assessment of his value is termed as self-esteem. It includes opinions
related to one-self (as an example, “I am capable”, “I am prestigious”) also
the emotive condition like achievement, hopelessness, superiority, and dignity.
It was described by Smith and Mackie (2007) as, the self-concept is something
individuals reflect about oneself, any optimistic or negative assessment of
oneself, like in what way individuals feel (Lilian, Odundo, Kahiga, Muriuki,
Muriithi & Koring’ura, 2016).
Self-esteem
refers as an enchanting psychological concept as it assumes definite
consequences, as an example educational success (Marsh, 1990) pleasure,
(Baumeister, Campbell, Krueger & Vohs, 2003) gratification in wedding and
affiliations, and lawless acts (Bleidorn, Schonbrodt, Gebauer, Rentfrow, Potter
& Gosling, 2016).
Self-esteem
could be implied to a particular trait (as an illustration, “I trust I am
capable of writing and I am joyful about it”) or universally (as an example, “I
trust I have bad characteristics, and I feel poor about it generally”).
Self-esteem in the viewpoint of a psychologist describes as a persistent
personality attribute that is trait self-esteem, though usual, variations for
short time i.e. state self-esteem, also present. Self-worth, self-regard, self-respect, and
self-integrity are the other near meanings of self-esteem (James, 1892).
Sociological
models of self-esteem believe that social factors influence self-esteem; the
concept is centered on Cooley’s (1902) prototype of the “looking-glass self”
and in Mead’s (1934) point of view “making perception and generalize others”.
The individual will have high self-esteem if he thinks that he is greatly
considered and respected by society at larger. In this way, demographic
variables like “professional status, salary, schooling, and societal prestige
have an impact on self-esteem.
If a
person is getting social support it will enhance its self-esteem. The enriched
self-esteem aids to cope with issues and stress, hence, elevate the
post-traumatic growth. Post-traumatic
growth can be defined as the personal practice of optimistic variations stated
by a person as a consequence of fight with trauma. As examples of optimistic
intellectual variations enhance gratitude of life, set novel life preferences,
promoting a sense of subjective strength, categorizing novel opportunities,
warm relationships, or encouraging spiritual fluctuations (Tedeschi, Calhoun
& Park, 1998).
Growth
after trauma or advantage finding is encouraging mental change which is
practiced as a consequence of hardship and other confronts for increasing
higher performance (Tedeshi & Calhoun, 2004). These different situations manifest
challenges to adaptive resources and ways of the individuals to understand the
world, and also understand where they lie in the world.
Post-traumatic
growth is not about gaining the same level of psychological conditions as
experienced before traumatic event recurring to the similar life like it was
formerly practiced before a period of shocking pain; however, to a certain
extent, it is thought that major 'life-changing' mental move concerning to the
earth are responsible for personal change, which is considered as meaningful
(Tedeshi & Calhoun, 2004).
Positive
changes are experienced by individuals after facing traumatic experiences. They
also say positive psychological changes as post-traumatic growth which is
experienced as a struggle in the highly challenging life situation (Tedeschi
& Calhoun, 2004). Three main domains have appeared in post-traumatic growth
such as variations in “self-perception”, variations in “relationship with
others” in addition to variations in “philosophy of life” (Stanton et al.,
2006).
Social support is a type of
environmental resource, in the conceptual model of Schaefer and Moos ‟it is
suggested afterlife traumas and transition, PTG is recognized. In positively
understanding the life crisis, social support has great importance (Schaefer
& Moos, 1998).
Social
support is information that leads the individuals of having a belief of being
cared for, loved, respected, encouraged which relate to the system of contact
and mutual responsibility. The social support controls the effects of major
transitions and unpredictable crisis in life and thus leads to adjustment to
change. In other terminology, social support regulates the connection between
an individual and a traumatic event. Breast cancer is a traumatic experience as
discussed earlier, it is understood that social support moderates the
relationship among the women confronting the breast cancer diagnosis and their
poor health or disease experience. Therefore, social support is validated to
help evaluate the diagnosis of illness and adjust with their illness in an
optimistic way may. For that reason, this is presented as social support is in
direct relationship with PTG (Cobb, 1976). Social support is correlated through
the growth of PTG in breast cancer patients going through procedures of surgery
(Bozo & colleagues, 2009).
Several
studies were conducted to approve the association between social support,
self-esteem, and post-traumatic growth. Nisa and Rizvi (2016) directed research
to define the link between coping strategies, social support, and
post-traumatic growth. One hundred and seventy-six participants were selected
for data collection. It provides that post-traumatic growth is highly
influenced by coping strategies and social support.
Hoffman,
Ushpiz, and Levy-Shiff, in 1988 explained the relationship between social
support and self-esteem. They stated that social support and self-esteem are
strongly bonded and social support has a high influence on self-esteem. When
people get more social support they also exhibit a high level of self-esteem,
social support improves self-esteem. And low self-esteem is associated with a
decrease in post-traumatic while high self-esteem is related to enhanced
post-traumatic growth (Calhoun and Tedeschi 2014).
Our small acts can bring great change. As
now we know that by providing social support we can help each other, so, we
should do acts that can provide comfort and encouragement to people.
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