news details |
|
|
| Be a Social isolate to become a socio-metric star | | Social Engineering in context of COVID-19 crisis | | Dr Narinder Paul | 4/15/2020 9:16:46 PM |
| Perhaps Jacob L. Moreno (1889-1974), the founder of sociometry for finding out the relationships between individuals in group situations might have never imagined that one day in the history of mankind, social isolation and social distancing will become extremely crucial and; a social isolate will be awarded as a socio-metric star contrary to his theory of sociometry and socio-metric indices. It is so because perhaps for the first time, social isolation has become socially very important to prevent the community spread of COVID-19. Otherwise, the concept of social isolation has been viewed very differently especially by the psychologists and sociologists who consider it deleterious to the human life. Today entire world is passing through a very critical phase and with the on-going national wide lockdown coupled with the experts' advice to stay indoors, become socially isolate, and behave differently when outdoor, the terms social isolation and social distancing have gained a significant importance.
Moreno, a Romania born psychiatrist is credited with the development of group therapy, sociodrama and psychodrama. He sought to create a scientific methodology and set of intervention tools that could be used to study and change the basic human feelings as applicable to the group processes. Also, to study and where appropriate, intervene with the ways in which groups organize using various sociometric measures such as pairs, clusters, triangles, cleavages and other group formations. Garcia and Buchanan (2000) mention sociometry as a tool for the measurement of social choices, meaning the decisions, both conscious and unconscious, that are made regarding inter-personal affiliation that can be used to facilitate induced change. A complete understanding of sociometry provides tremendously powerful structures and tools for use not only in group interactions but also wherever and whenever interpersonal dynamics come into play. Dayton (2005) explains that at its most basic level, sociometry addresses the various aspects of human connection and offers a way to study groups in their concrete form.
A social isolate has been viewed as a least preferred and deviant in the society but now in context of COVID-19, the concept of social isolation has undergone transformation and the position of a social isolate has experienced role-reversal. Becoming social isolate is not easy. Amy Noveotony (2019) in his article the risks of social isolation and Julianne Holt-Lunstad (2015) from Brigham Young University elucidate that lack of social connection heightens health risks and is twice as harmful to physical and mental health as obesity. Social isolation is a term often used interchangeably with loneliness, but while the two are closely related, they do not necessarily mean the same thing. But today thanks to the Information and Communication Technologies, though we are physically isolated but are linked to others through different modes of communication on virtual social groups actively through social media platforms. Present social isolation is thus a short term compulsory and voluntary physical isolation.
Social isolation can be defined in many different ways and the number of socially isolated will vary accordingly. If we define social isolation as both "living alone" and also "not having contact with family and friends on a weekly basis." (Barstad & Sandvik, 2015). A third variant of social isolation can be to "lack someone to rely on." Interestingly, previous analyses show that not having any, versus having one or two people to rely on, means little for the experience of solitude. However, when persons report having at least three people to rely on, the risk of solitude reduces significantly (Normann, 2010).
In general, experts opine that isolation can involve staying at home for lengthy periods of time, having no access to services or community involvement, and little or no communication with friends, family, and acquaintances. One can be lonely in a group or crowd, but will not be socially isolated. Social isolation describes the absence of social contact and can lead to loneliness. Isolation has been defined as an objective state whereby the number of contacts a person has can be counted, whereas loneliness on the other hand is a subjective experience. It is a state of being cut off from normal social networks, which can be triggered by factors such as loss of mobility, unemployment, or health issues. While the terms may have slightly different meanings, both are interrelated and can be painful experiences and have a harmful impact on the individual. At the same time experts also suggest meditation and other techniques to overcome its impact.
Many things can prevent people from leaving the house and having contact with other members of society, such as long-term illness, disabilities, transport issues, unemployment and economic struggles, or domestic violence. Some may be physically able to go out and meet people but are inhibited from doing so by factors such as depression, social adversity etc. These factors can be barriers to forming and maintaining social networks and can lead to loneliness and isolation. In recent years awareness of the importance of social relations for good health has increased. Unfortunately, numbers tell us that too many are socially isolated. Another form of social isolation can be to have limited contact with friends and family. When looking at sociometry, one can view it from the perspective of the group or the individual. When using sociometry in the group, individuals who are highly selected, that is, who receive the most choices, are called "sociometric stars." Contrarily, a person is an isolate when he or she neither chooses, nor is chosen based upon particular criteria. Those who persistently choose isolation and who are persistently not chosen are true isolates.
In spite of multiple issues related to the social isolation, under the present circumstances of COVID-19 crisis, experts across the globe are suggesting social isolation, as a potent weapon to defeat the deadly virus which is very important and opens ways for the social engineering experts to redefine the concept keeping in view its practical contribution in containing the pandemic menace. Another suggested tool to fight against COVID-19 is social distancing, which is again related to human group phenomenon to be followed outside the homes and calls for physical distancing, keeping space between yourself and other people. It calls for not gathering in groups, keeping distance from other people, staying out of crowded places and avoiding mass gatherings. No doubt this deadly virus has taught many counterintuitive novel lessons to the mankind and one of which is the present configuration of social engineering tools to tackle it and underlying concepts of human group dynamics. Above all, need of the hour is, "be a social isolate to become a sociometric star." |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
STOCK UPDATE |
|
|
 |
| BSE
Sensex |
 |
| NSE
Nifty |
|
|
| |
CRICKET UPDATE |
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
