Social Wellness Notes

Interpersonal Expectations and Social Interaction

• Expectations from Others:

  • Question: Do you expect the best from people?

  • Assumption: Others will be conscientious, trustworthy, friendly, and easy to work with until proven wrong.

  • Appreciation:

  • Question: Are you appreciative of other people's physical, mental, and emotional attributes?

    • Importance: Pointing out positive traits frequently enhances relationships.

  • Approachability:

  • Questions:

    • Are you approachable?

    • Do you make an effort to be outgoing?

    • Do you usually wear a pleasant expression on your face?

  • Memory and Interest:

  • Questions:

    • Do you make an effort to remember people’s names?

    • Are you interested in other people, all kinds of people?

    • Implication: Shows engagement and respect.

  • Communication:

  • Question: Do you spend less time talking about yourself than encouraging others to share their life stories?

    • Importance: Demonstrates listening and empathy.

  • Attention:

  • Question: When someone speaks, do you give them 100% attention?

    • Behavior: Avoiding daydreaming, interrupting, or planning your response.

  • Nonjudgmental Acceptance:

  • Question: Are you accepting and nonjudgmental of others’ choices and behaviors?

    • Ethical Importance: Promotes a positive interpersonal environment.

  • Celebrating Others:

  • Question: Do you rejoice in other people's good fortune as easily as you sympathize with their troubles?

  • Emotional Control:

  • Question: Do you refuse to become childish, temperamental, or aggressive?

    • Outcome: Encourages mature and respectful interactions.

  • Humility:

  • Definition: Not false modesty, but the opposite of arrogance.

    • Question: Are you humble?

  • Dependability:

  • Questions:

    • Are you dependable?

    • Do you keep commitments and secrets?

  • Open-mindedness:

  • Question: Are you willing to listen to opposing views without defensiveness?

  • Emotional Management:

  • Question: Can you handle stress without losing control?

  • Self-Reflection:

  • Question: Are you able to analyze your own feelings?

  • Mistake Handling:

    • Question: If you make a mistake, are you willing to acknowledge and correct it?

  • Self-Acceptance:

  • Question: Do you like and approve of yourself most of the time?

    • Affirmative responses indicate skills enhancing interpersonal relations.

Definition of Social Wellness

• Meaning:

  • Social wellness involves relating and connecting with others by engaging in the community and forming supportive social networks.

• Examples:

  • Awareness: Being aware of others' feelings and responding appropriately.

  • Trust: Having people with whom trusting relationships are established.

  • Boundary Setting: Ability to set and respect personal boundaries (including personal space and safety).

Signs of Social Wellness

1. Awareness of others' feelings.

2. Presence of trusting relationships.

3. Ability to set personal boundaries.

4. Capacity to respect boundaries of others.

Emotional Intelligence (EI or EQ)

• Definition and Importance:

  • Emotional Intelligence (EI) refers to the ability to recognize and manage one’s own feelings and the feelings of others, utilizing this awareness to navigate relationships.

  • It is a subset of social intelligence that involves monitoring emotions effectively.

• Key EI Skills:

  • Motivation: Self-motivation and persistence despite frustrations.

  • Impulse Control: Ability to control impulses and delay gratification.

  • Mood Regulation: Managing moods to prevent distress from overwhelming thought processes.

  • Empathy: Understanding and empathizing with others' emotions.

  • Optimism: Maintaining hope and positive outlook in challenging situations.

• Distinction from IQ:

  • IQ measures intellectual abilities, including learning and applying information, while EI focuses on using emotions for reasoning and understanding others’ emotions.

Emotional Intelligence Framework

• Core Components:

  • Self-Awareness

  • Self-Management

  • Social Awareness

  • Relationship Management

• Specific Skills Within Framework:

  • Emotional self-awareness: Recognizing and describing one's feelings and intentions.

  • Adaptability: Adjusting to new conditions while maintaining emotional balance.

  • Empathy: Recognizing emotional cues and understanding diverse perspectives.

  • Conflict Management: Handling and resolving interpersonal disagreements effectively.

Enhancing Emotional Intelligence

• Six Practical Ways to Enhance EI:

  1. Notice your responses to others: Assess judgments or biases.

  2. Identify your feelings: Use mindfulness to check emotions neutrally.

  3. Appreciate your emotions: Recognize emotions as valuable information (Robbins n.d.).

  4. Consider the impact of choices: Anticipate how decisions affect others’ feelings.

  5. Manage stress responses: Reflect on your ability to control emotions under stress.

  6. Take responsibility: Acknowledge and apologize for errors when necessary.

Emotional Intelligence Capacity and Workplace Behavior

Capacities & Competencies

1. Self Reflection

   • Self-Awareness Skills:

     • Responsibility for feelings, thoughts, and actions.

     • Ability to articulate thoughts and feelings under stress.

     • Awareness of feeling intensity and context.

2. Self Regulation

   • Skills of Self-control, Adaptability:

     • Straightforward communication during difficult discussions.

     • Monitoring emotional responses in appropriate contexts.

3. Empathy and Relationship Management:

   • Attentiveness to emotional cues:

     • Understanding and valuing others’ contributions and perspectives.

     • Building rapport and maintaining relationships in a workplace setting.

4. Leadership and Teamwork:

   • Encouraging Collaboration:

     • Leading by example and guiding teammates while holding them accountable to mutual goals.

     • Creating a supportive environment that values diversity and promotes inclusion.