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Emotional Intelligence And Self-efficacy As Determining Factors For Perceived Social Support Among Adolescents
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These vast elaboration of social support, is hereby viewed as a
comprehensive dimension towards understanding it effectively (Alankee,
Johnson & Hunt, 1998).
Social support has also been defined as
the physical and emotional comfort given to us by our family, friend,
colleagues and others. It is knowing that we are part of a community of
people who love and care for us, valued and think well of us. it is the
sum of the social emotional and instrumental exchanges with which the
individual is involved having the subjective consequence that an
individual sees him or herself as an object of continuing valued in the
eyes of significant others (Gordy, 1996). Social support means the sum
of all the relationships that make a person feel as if he or she matters
to the people who matter to him or her. Social support can come in many
different forms. Experts who study human relationship have identified
three main types of social support. Alarie (1996), concluded by saying
that these forms of social support are meant to have a positive impact
on individual adolescents life and health, but they can also have
negative consequences. Moreso, many studies have demonstrated that being
integrated into social networks and receiving high levels of social
support are important for mental health, high productivity and
performance, as well as encourages attainment of set goals and well
being, particularly for adolescents (Kessler & Mclead, 1995; Alarie,
1996). The number of social contacts, both close and not too close, is
related to higher levels of well-being. Within relationships, different
types of support from different sources may benefit health-such as
emotional practical and informational support (Houze & Kalin, 1995).
Stansfelf & Sproton (2002); Alarie (1996) in their different
studies observed that on the other hand, close relationship may be
stressful as well as stress relieving, and high levels of negative
interaction within relationship increase the risk of mental ill-health.
Taken
together, Goodenew, 1993; Levitt, Guacci-Fanco & Levitt, 1994; and
Wentzel, 1998, viewed social support as a morale booster or forces, on
which adolescent enjoyed from their parent peers, and/or teachers based
on their life pursuit and target goals. They also expatiate that,
adolescent’s perceived social support is associated with their academic
achievement, in that they/adolescents enjoying social support) do fare
better in both emotional reasoning and self-efficacy and self-esteem
than those who do not perceived their socializers as such. In a contrary
view, other scholars posited that, despite the growing body of evidence
on the associations between the perception of supportive social
relationship, academic achievements, emotional reasoning and high
self-efficacy/self esteem, the mechanisms through which social support
exerts its influence on these achievements are seldom, as such
supportive social relationships may influence adolescents’ behaviour
indirectly through motivational and affective mechanisms, that is, may
precipitate positive or negative affective experiences, such as
(enjoyment, anxiety, anger) as well as adaptive or maladaptive self and
task related motivational beliefs (example, self competence beliefs and
subjective value), which in turn predicts the potency of social support
network.
Also, Furman & Buhrmesten (1992), in their own
perspective, described social support as a period when youth perceive
their parents and teachers as less supportive whereas their perception
of peer support peaks to the maximum. Thus, making adolescence stage, an
ideal period for the examination of perceived social support on the
emotional well-being, self-efficacy as well as behaviour-exhibited, with
particular emphasis on affective and motivational mechanisms, which
happen to be influx.
Social support can be measured as the perception
that on has assistance available, the actual received assistance, or
the degree to which a person is integrated in a social network. Social
support on the other hand has been linked to many benefits for both
physical and mental health, but to an extent, social support is not
always beneficial, this is in reference to the two main models as
proposed to the link between social support and health: the buffering
hypothesis and the direct effects hypothesis.
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