Creating Social Networks

Creating Social Support Networks

One of the mainstays of clinical psychology is that social support plays a huge role in maintaining emotional health.  Making friends and joining groups, clubs or organizations are not merely enjoyable activities; they are requirements for good health.  Social support is paramount to surviving stress, dealing with grief and loss issues and maintaining good psychological health.   Due to the hardships they have survived, migrants need to talk about their problems and to tell their story--it is imperative that migrants have people around them who will listen to them in a non-judgmental fashion.  Therefore, social support goes a long way to help migrants cope with feelings of loneliness, isolation and marginalization. 

Migrants should make every effort to join or create a local community of support, and seek out a network of friends in their neighborhood, church or ethnic club. Men, especially, might have a difficult time admitting they need social support but it is crucial that they accept this fact if they wish to achieve success in their new country.  In the discussion of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, it was shown that those in Diaspora have a particularly difficult time achieving the needs-levels of love/belonging and self-esteem.  Social support goes a long way toward fulfilling both those levels and can help the individual achieve self-actualization.  Social support also makes economic sense--studies show that the presence of social networks in the destination country is vital for a successful post-migration period. If one wishes to “make it” in the new host country, one needs to quickly tap into a pre-existing social network.

No life is perpetually smooth, and when times of trouble set in, migrants need to be able to rely upon others--to care for them when illness strikes, to provide references for acquiring employment or housing, or to pass on useful information about the new country.  Similarly, migrants need a social network so that they can care for others, too--a sense of satisfaction and belonging is derived from helping others.  Acting in altruistic ways and helping those in need provides one with a feeling of strength and cultivates a sense of meaning in life.  Consequently, migrants need to work on actively cultivating meaningful friendships.  Although already pressed for time and energy due to education and employment obligations, migrants still need to put effort into maintaining social networks because it is in their best interests to do so.  Effort needs to be put into maintaining social networks, just as one would put effort into working or shopping for food, because it is these networks that may be one’s best survival strategy while abroad.