Functional Support Associated with Belonging to the Red Hat Society®, a Leisure-Based Social Network
| Autor: | Julie S. Son, I-Yin Yen, Deborah L. Kerstetter, Birgitta S. Baker, Careen Yarnal |
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| Rok vydání: | 2008 |
| Předmět: |
Sociology and Political Science
Social network business.industry 05 social sciences Social environment 050109 social psychology Environmental Science (miscellaneous) Social learning Social relation Developmental psychology Social group Social order Tourism Leisure and Hospitality Management 0502 economics and business Social position 0501 psychology and cognitive sciences Social competence business Psychology Social psychology 050212 sport leisure & tourism |
| Zdroj: | Journal of Leisure Research. 40:531-555 |
| ISSN: | 2159-6417 0022-2216 |
| Popis: | IntroductionWe are linked to each other through a web of social ties that provide us with a sense of who we are, who we are to become and to whom we belong. These "ties" also influence how we are comforted and the meaning we find in life (Litwin, 1 996). The metaphoric web that links these ties is referred to as a "social network." Social networks provide members with emotional (e.g., caring, affection, understanding) and instrumental (e.g., information, help with daily living tasks) support (Berkman, 1984; Curtis, Bucquet, & Colvez, 1 992), both of which have important ramifications for individuals across the life cycle (Vaillant, Meyer, Mukumai, & Soldz, 1998).A great deal of research has been devoted to the study of structural (e.g., size and density) aspects of social networks. Less attention has been given to the functional (e.g., emotional and instrumental) support that exists within specific network configurations such as leisure-based social networks. This is problematic because leisure-based social networks can consist of friends whose friendship and support may be critical to the well-being of individuals, especially older adults (Rawlins, 1992). Friends, as opposed to kin or other acquaintances, provide very different functional support (Pilisuk & Parks, 1986). Does this argument hold, however, for older women?Understanding the types of support older women receive from a leisure-based social network takes on special significance in view of the fact that older women outnumber older men and by the time they reach the age of 75, one-half will be living alone (Administration on Aging, 2005). Further, women's lives have become more complex and diverse; their social roles have changed; they have encountered new rights, duties, and resources; and, as they have aged, experienced flux in their social identity (Elder, Johnson, & Crosnoe, 2003; Henderson, Bialeschki, Shaw, & Freysinger, 1997; National Center on Women and Aging, 2002; Poortman & Tilburg, 2005). Women may respond to this new complexity and change through increased social interaction (Klein & Corwin, 2002). Taylor et al. (2000) refer to this response as "tending and befriending," which is exhibited through the creation and maintenance of social networks.In the face of age-based opportunities and constraints older women are seeking experiences that provide meaning to their lives (Henderson et al., 1997) and relationships "that maximize gains and minimize risks in social and emotional domains" (Lansford, Sherman, & Antonucci, 1998, p. 545). One social domain that has received minimal attention is leisure. Thus, the purpose of this study was to understand the type(s) of functional support older women access through their membership in one leisure-based social network-The Red Hat Society®. Given the limited knowledge we have about older women in a leisure context we thought it prudent to hear from older women using an interpretivist rather than a positivist approach which, in the case of social network analysis, focuses on understanding "...how social structures facilitate and constrain opportunities, behaviors, and cognitions (Tindell & Wellman, 1992, p. 266).Social NetworksA social network is defined as, ". . .a set of linkages among an identified group of people, the characteristics of which have some explanatory power over the social behavior of the people involved. It is the set of people with whom one maintains contact and has some form of social bond" (Bowling, Farquhar, & Browne, 1991, p. 549). A social network is believed to function as a support network, at times positively and at other times negatively (Lein, 1983).Social networks provide a variety of benefits. First, they help individuals to maintain a social identity. Second, social networks provide members with emotional support. Third, they supply a wide variety of resources, including money. Fourth, social networks distribute information, generally resulting in knowledge. … |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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