Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Social Interest and Social Well-being Across Adolescence, Young Adulthood, and Middle Adulthood Stages in the Indian Context

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Trends in Psychology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The authors examined the relationship between social interest and social well-being across adolescence, young adulthood, and middle adulthood stages. The study sought to investigate about how social interest could be an important predictor of social well-being across multiple life span development stages. A total of 360 participants, males and females, with age ranging from 15 to 65 years (M = 33.50, SD = 11.99), belonging to two ecological settings, i.e., rural (Gorakhpur region, eastern Uttar Pradesh, India) and urban (National Capital Region of Delhi, India), completed the Social Interest Index Scale (Greever et al., Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 41, 454–458, 1973) and Social Well-being Scale (Keyes, Social Psychology Quarterly, 61, 121–137, 1998) and responded to demographic questions. The results indicate how individuals differ in visualizing social interest and social well-being across adolescence, young adulthood, and middle adulthood stages. The regression findings show that the factors of social interest emerged less frequently as the predictors of social well-being. The study has obvious limitations due to correlational nature. The results, however, suggest that there is a need to inculcate and promote social interest across multiple life span development stages for the enhanced social well-being/wellness of society. The future research work may consider a large sample from different cultural contexts in order to have clarity about the relationship between variables undertaken in the study.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Data Availability

The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

References

  • Adler, A. (1937). Understanding human nature. Greenberg.

    Google Scholar 

  • Albanesi, C., Cicognani, E., & Zani, B. (2007). Sense of community, civic engagement and social well-being in Italian adolescents. Journal of Community and Applied Social Psychology, 17, 387–406.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ansbacher, H., & Ansbacher, R. (Eds.). (1956). The individual psychology of Alfred Adler: A systematic presentation in selections from his writing. Harper & Row.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ansbacher, H. (1991). The concept of social interest. Individual Psychologist, 5, 471.

    Google Scholar 

  • Arnett, J. J. (2000). Emerging adulthood: A theory of development from the late teens through the twenties. American Psychologist, 55(5), 469.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Arnett, J. J. (Ed.). (2015). The Oxford handbook of emerging adulthood. Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Atadokht, A., Zare, R., & KaramatiTopraghloo, N. (2015). The relationship between social interest and general health among elderly non-resident and resident at geriatric centers of Ardabil city. Iranian Journal of Health Education and Health Promotion, 3(2), 141–149.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bajkov, L. M. (2017). Buffering effect of social interest on stress and psychological well-being in undergraduate students. https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/145192707.pdf

  • Barlow, P. J., Tobin, D. J., & Schmidt, M. M. (2009). Social interest and positive psychology: Positively aligned. Journal of Individual Psychology, 65, 191–202.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bass, M. L., Curlette, W. L., Kern, R. M., & McWilliams, A. E., Jr. (2002). Social interest: A meta-analysis of a multidimensional construct. The Journal of Individual Psychology, 58(1), 4–34.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bhawuk, D. P. S. (2019). lokasaMgraha: An indigenous construct of leadership and its measure. In S. Dhiman & A. D. Amar (Eds.), Managing by the Bhagavad Gita: Timeless lessons for today’s managers (pp. 273–297). Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Burke, M., Marlow, C., & Lento, M. (2010). Social network activity and social well-being. Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems - Proceedings., 3, 1909–1912. https://doi.org/10.1145/1753326.1753613

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cairns, R. B., Leung, M.-C., & Cairns, B. D. (1995). Social networks over time and space in adolescence. In L. J. Crockett & A. C. Crouter (Eds.), Pathways through adolescence: Individual development in relation to social contexts. The Penn State series on child and adolescent development (pp. 35–56). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.

  • Census of India. (2011). Rural-urban distribution. In Provisional Population Totals, Paper 2, vol. 1, India Series 1, pp. 1–19. http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011-prov-results/paper2/data_files/india/paper2_1.pdf

  • Chavis, D. M., & Wandersman, A. (1990). Sense of community in the urban environment: A catalyst for participation and community development. American Journal of Community Psychology, 18(1), 55–81.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cicognani, E., Pirini, C., Keyes, C., Joshanloo, M., Rostami, R., & Nosratabadi, M. (2008). Social participation, sense of community and social well-being: A study on American, Italian and Iranian university students. Social Indicators Research, 89, 97–112.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cicognani, E., Mazzoni, D., Albanesi, C., & Zani, B. (2014). Sense of community and empowerment among young people: Understanding pathways from civic participation to social well-being. VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations, 26. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11266-014-9481-y

  • Crandall, J. E. (1982). Social interest, extreme response style, and implications for adjustment. Journal of Research in Personality, 16(1), 82–89.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Czyżowska, D., Gurba, E., Czyżowska, N., & Kalus, A. (2020). Intimate relationship and its significance for eudaimonic wellbeing in young adults. Health Psychology Report, 8. https://doi.org/10.5114/hpr.2020.93768

  • Dixon, P. N., Willingham, W. K., Chandler, C. K., & McDougal, K. (1986). Relating social interest and dogmatism to happiness and sense of humour. The Journal of Individual Psychology, 42, 421–427.

    Google Scholar 

  • Donnellan, M. B., & Lucas, R. E. (2008). Age differences in the Big Five across the life span: Evidence from two national samples. Psychology and Aging, 23(3), 558–566. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0012897

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Erikson, E. H. (1963). Childhood and society. Norton.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ferguson, E. D. (2015). Adlerian theory: An introduction (2nd ed.). Adler School of Professional Psychology.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fung, T. Y., & Webster, R. (2018). Perceived social support, social interest, and mental health: Testing a mediator model. The Journal of Individual Psychology, 74(2), 157–171.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Giordano, A. L., & Cashwell, C. S. (2014). Exploring the relationship between social interest, social bonding, and collegiate substance abuse. Journal of College Counseling, 17(3), 222–235.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Greever, K., Tseng, M., & Friedland, B. (1973). Development of the social interest index. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 41, 454–458.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Guzick, D. T., Dorman, W. J., Groff, T. S., Altermatt, E. R., & Forsyth, G. A. (2004). Fostering social interest in schools for long-term and short-term outcomes. The Journal of Individual Psychology, 60(4), 361–366.

    Google Scholar 

  • Helliwell, J. F., & Putnam, R. D. (2004). The social context of well-being. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, Series B, Biological Sciences, 359(1449), 1435–1446.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Helliwell, J. F., Richard, L., Jeffrey, S., & Jan-Emmanuel, D. (2020). World happiness report. Sustainable Development Solutions Network.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hill, P. L., Turiano, N. A., Mroczek, D. K., & Roberts, B. W. (2012). Examining concurrent and longitudinal relations between personality traits and social well-being in adulthood. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 3(6), 698–705.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Hung, H., & Yuen, S. C. (2010). Educational use of social networking technology in higher education. Teaching in Higher Education, 15(6), 703–714.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Huppert, F. A., Marks, N., Clark, A., Siegrist, J., Stutzer, A., Vittersø, J., & Wahrendorf, M. (2009). Measuring well-being across Europe: Description of the ESS well-being module and preliminary findings. Social Indicators Research, 91(3), 301–315.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Johnson, P., Smith, A. J., & Nelson, M. D. (2003). Predictors of social interest in young adults. The Journal of Individual Psychology, 59(3), 281–292.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kalmijn, M. (2003). Shared friendship networks and the life course: An analysis of survey data on married and cohabiting couples. Social Networks, 25(3), 231–249.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kałużna-Wielobób, A. (2017). The community feeling versus anxiety, self-esteem and well-being - Introductory research. Polish Psychological Bulletin, 48(2), 167–174.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kaplan, H. B. (1978). The relationship of social interest to cooperative behavior. Journal of Individual Psychology, 34(1), 36–39.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kaplan, H. (1991). A guide for explaining social interest to laypersons. Individual Psychology, 47, 82–85.

    Google Scholar 

  • Keyes, C. L. M. (1998). Social well-being. Social Psychology Quarterly, 61, 121–137.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Keyes, C. L. (2007). Promoting and protecting mental health as flourishing: A complementary strategy for improving national mental health. The American Psychologist, 62(2), 95–108.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Keyes, C. L. M., & Shapiro, A. D. (2004). Social well-being in the United States: A descriptive epidemiology. In O. G. Brim, C. D. Ryff, & R. C. Kessler (Eds.), How healthy are we? A national study of well-being at midlife (pp. 1–36). University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kim, E., Park, H., & Hogge, I. (2015)Examination of the Adlerian constructs of activity and social interest with depression among recent Korean retirees: Meaning in life as a mediator.Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics, 61. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.archger.2015.07.003.

  • King, R., & Shelley, C. A. (2008). Community feeling and social interest: Adlerian parallels, synergy and differences with the field of community psychology. Journal of Community and Applied Social Psychology, 18, 96–107.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Krendl, A. C., & Perry, B. L. (2021). The impact of sheltering in place during the COVID-19 pandemic on older adults’ social and mental well-being. The Journals of Gerontology. Series B, Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 76(2), e53–e58.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kunkel, S. R., Brown, J. S., & Whittington, F. J. (2014). Global aging: Comparative perspectives on aging and the life course. Springer.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Lachman, M. E., Teshale, S., & Agrigoroaei, S. (2015). Midlife as a pivotal period in the life course: Balancing growth and decline at the crossroads of youth and old age. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 39(1), 20–31. https://doi.org/10.1177/0165025414533223

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Larson, J. S. (1993). The measurement of social well-being. Social Indicators Research, 28, 285–296.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leak, G. K., & Leak, K. C. (2006). Adlerian social interest and positive psychology: A conceptual and empirical integration. The Journal of Individual Psychology, 62(3), 207–223.

    Google Scholar 

  • Leggett, D. G., Roberts-Pittman, B., Byczek, S., & Morse, D. T. (2012). Cooperation, conflict, and marital satisfaction: Bridging theory, research, and practice. Journal of Individual Psychology, 68(2), 182–199.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lucas, R. E., & Donnellan, M. B. (2009). Age differences in personality: Evidence from a nationally representative Australian sample. Developmental Psychology, 45(5), 1353–1363. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0013914.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Maccoby, E. E. (1980). Social development: Psychological growth and the parent-child relationship. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.

    Google Scholar 

  • Markus, H. R., & Kitayama, S. (1991). Culture and the self: Implications for cognition, emotion, and motivation. Psychological Review, 98(2), 224–253.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mascolo, M. F., Misra, G., & Rpisardi, C. (2004). Individual and relational conceptions of self in India and the United States. New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development, 104, 9–26.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McDowell, I., & Newell, C. (1987). Measuring health: A guide to rating scales and questionnaires. Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • McMillan, D. W., & Chavis, D. M. (1986). Sense of community: A definition and theory. Journal of Community Psychology, 14(1), 6–23.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mehta, C. M., Arnett, J. J., Palmer, C. G., & Nelson, L. J. (2020). Established adulthood: A new conception of ages 30 to 45. American Psychologist, 75(4), 431–444.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Meunier, G. F., & Royce, S. (1988). Age and social interest. The Journal of Individual Psychology, 44, 50–52.

    Google Scholar 

  • Miller, M. J., Denton, G. O., & Tobacyk, J. (1986). Social interest and feelings of hopelessness among elderly persons. Psychological Reports, 59, 410.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Misra, G. (2001). Culture and self: Implications for psychological inquiry. Journal of Indian Psychology, 19, 1–20.

    Google Scholar 

  • Misra, G., & Giri, R. (1995). Is Indian self predominantly interdependent? Journal of Indian Psychology, 11, 15–19.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mozdzierz, G. J., & Semyck, R. W. (1981). Further validation of the social interest index with male alcoholics. Journal of Personality Assessment, 45(1), 79–84. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327752jpa4501_15

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Nikelly, A. G. (2005). Positive health outcomes of social interest. The Journal of Individual Psychology, 61(4), 329–342.

    Google Scholar 

  • OECD. (2020). How’s Life? In 2020: Measuring well-being. Paris: OECD Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1787/9870c393-en

  • Palmer, N., Perkins, D., & Xu, Q. (2011). Social capital and community participation among migrant workers in China. Journal of Community Psychology, 39, 89–105.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Putnam, R. D. (2000). Bowling alone: The collapse and revival of American community. Simon & Schuster.

    Google Scholar 

  • Quinn, K. (2019). Social media and social wellbeing in later life. Ageing and Society, 41(6), 1–22.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rao, K. R., & Paranjpe, A. C. (2016). Psychology in the Indian tradition. Springer.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Richardson, F. C., & Manaster, G. J. (2003). Social interest, emotional well-being, and the quest for civil society. The Journal of Individual Psychology, 59(2), 123–135.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ryff, C.D., Kitayam, S., Karasawa, M., Markus, H., Kawakami, N., & Coe, C. (2008). Survey of midlife in Japan April-September, 2008 (ICPSR 30822). Retrieved from: https://www.icpsr.umich.edu/icpsrweb/ICPSR/studies/30822/summary.

  • Ryff, C. D., & Singer, B. (1998). Middle age and well-being. In H. S. Friedman (Ed.), Encyclopedia of mental health (pp. 707–719). Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schneider, L. J., & Reuterfors, D. L. (1981). The impact of birth order and sex on social interest. Journal of Individual Psychology, 37, 102–106.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schwartz, S. H. (2003). A proposal for measuring value orientations across nations. Questionnaire Package of the European Social Survey, 259(290), 261.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sinha, D., & Tripathi, R. C. (1994). Individualism in a collective culture: A case of coexistence of opposites. In U. Kim, H. C. Triandis, C. Kagitcibasi, S. Choi, & G. Yoon (Eds.), Individualism and collectivism: Theory, method, and application (pp. 123–136). SAGE.

    Google Scholar 

  • Son, C., Hegde, S., Smith, A., Wang, X., & Sasangohar, F. (2020). Effects of COVID-19 on college students’ mental health in the United States: Interview survey study. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 22(9), e21279.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Stoykova, Z. (2013). Social interest and motivation. Trakia Journal of Sciences, 3, 286–290.

    Google Scholar 

  • The United Nations Children's Fund India. (2020). Adolescent development and participation.

  • Tiwari, D. N., & Misra, G. (2020). Personality and value preference as predictors of social well-being. Journal of Human Values. https://doi.org/10.1177/0971685820965358

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tripathi, R. C. (1988). Aligning development to values in India. In D. Sinha & H. S. R. Kao (Eds.), Social values and development: Asian perspectives (pp. 315–333). Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Lente, E., Barry, M. M., Molcho, M., Morgan, K., Watson, D., Harrington, J., & McGee, H. (2012). Measuring population mental health and social well-being. International Journal of Public Health, 57(2), 421–430.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • von Grebmer, K., Bernstein, J., Alders, R., Dar, O., Kock, R., Rampa, F., Wiemers, M., Acheampong, K., Hanano, A., Higgins, B., NíChéilleachair, R., Foley, C., Gitter, S., Ekstrom, K., & Fritschel, H. (2020). 2020 Global Hunger Index: One decade to zero hunger: Linking health and sustainable food systems. Bonn: Welthungerhilfe; Concern Worldwide.

  • Wandersman, A., & Florin, P. (2003). Community interventions and effective prevention. American Psychologist, 58(6–7), 441–448.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • WatkinsSt. John, C. E. C. (1994). Validity of the Sulliman Scale of social interest. Journal of Adlerian Theory, Research, & Practice, 50(2), 166–169.

    Google Scholar 

  • WHO. (2004). Changing history. World Health Report.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yang, Y. C., Boen, C., Gerken, K., Li, T., Schorpp, K., & Harris, K. M. (2016). Social relationships and physiological determinants of longevity across the human life span. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 113(3), 578–583. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1511085112

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Yu, R. P., Mccammon, R. J., Ellison, N. B., & Langa, K. M. (2016). The relationships that matter: Social network site use and social wellbeing among older adults in the United States of America. Ageing & Society, 36(9), 1826–1852.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yuen, T. (2010). Counseling with adolescents in Hong Kong: An effective group work revisited. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 5, 2047–2057.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zimet, G. D., Dahlem, N. W., Zimet, S. G., & Farley, G. K. (1988). The multidimensional scale of perceived social support. Journal of Personality Assessment, 52(1), 30–41.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zimmerman, M. A., & Rappaport, J. (1988). Citizen participation, perceived control, and psychological empowerment. American Journal of Community Psychology, 16(5), 725–750.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ramanujan College, University of Delhi, Delhi, India

    Dharmendra Nath Tiwari

  2. University of Delhi, Delhi, India

    Girishwar Misra

Authors
  1. Dharmendra Nath Tiwari
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Girishwar Misra
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Dharmendra Nath Tiwari.

Ethics declarations

Consent to Participate

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare no competing interests.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Tiwari, D.N., Misra, G. Social Interest and Social Well-being Across Adolescence, Young Adulthood, and Middle Adulthood Stages in the Indian Context. Trends in Psychol. 30, 294–315 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43076-021-00098-8

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s43076-021-00098-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation