Meaningful Interactions
As social beings, people need to connect. This is a basic need for people to ensure their well-being and a well-established and well-functioning society. Unfortunately, due to the busy lives most people live, there does not seem to be enough time to interact with people other than our families and close friends. This situation may bring some problems for the community we live in. First, infrequent or no interaction(s) among people can lead to a lack of a sense of belonging or membership in a local community or neighbourhood. Moreover, it can also generate isolation and loneliness, which has many negative consequences for an individual’s physical and mental health. Lastly, unfamiliarity with diversity can create suspicion on “others”, especially in people of different cultural, religious and ethnic backgrounds, and even gender, sexuality, age groups, and physical and mental abilities. In the worst situation, it can lead to hostility among people.
Therefore, it is crucial to have interactions among people, especially meaningful ones, to prevent any problem that may arise in the loss of social cohesion. Having meaningful interactions between people in society help break down barriers, especially between people from different backgrounds.
The Definition of Meaningful Interactions
It is possible to find a variety of definitions and interpretations of ‘meaningful interaction’ with respect to different fields and disciplines such as philosophy, linguistics, education, communication, and information technology. For example, in the field of education and from a social constructivist interpretation perspective, an interaction can be meaningful if it directly influences the learner’s intellectual growth in any learning process (Woo & Reeves, 2007).
For community building, meaningful interactions can be defined as “conversations that go beyond surface friendliness; in which people exchange personal information or talk about each other’s differences and identities; people share a common goal or share an interest; and they are sustained long-term” (Department for Communities and Local Government, 2009).
Stating the elements of meaningful interactions will support our understanding of them. First, meaningful interactions are positive interactions between people and positively affect a social connection and contribute to social cohesion. It is evident that interactions that include unpleasant experiences and arguments will likely harm social relations unless resolved peacefully. Second, there is no single form of interaction that can be called meaningful. Meaningful interactions can take various forms, that are equally essential in improving social cohesion (ibid).
Types of Meaningful Interactions
Meaningful interactions come in various types, and it is possible to classify them in various forms. One of the most common classifications of meaningful interactions in developing social cohesion comprises four main types: grounding interactions, banal interactions, opportunity interactions, and network interactions (CRE, 2007).
‘Grounding interactions’ happen between people who share a common history. While consolidating the identity and shared values of the same group, they also help sustain individual self-confidence and pride (ibid).
‘Banal interactions’, another type of meaningful interaction, take place between people living in the same community. They are relatively superficial and include interactions such as greeting each other in the street and exchanging chit-chat. The primary function of banal interactions can be stated as consolidating one’s external environment. Banal interactions are crucial in developing a sense of belonging and help create and consolidate good community relations (ibid).
The third type is called ‘opportunity interactions’ that occur between people who share potential mutual benefits. They help broaden the external environment. For example, networking events, self-help groups, campaigns, and committees are among the opportunity interactions which bring people from different backgrounds together. Such interactions bring new opportunities for people to expand their external environment (ibid).
The last type is called ‘growth interactions’, and they mainly take place between people who share curiosity and are interested in spending time with someone with a different background. They help broaden people’s identities and values by changing the way people see themselves and other people from different backgrounds (ibid).
It is important to note that these different types of meaningful interactions must not necessarily happen step by step. Instead, they occur cyclically and naturally, and each type supports the other one. Individuals can also move backwards and ahead between any type. For example, banal interactions can lead to a regular acquaintance between people, which can change into friendship (ibid).
Benefits of Meaningful Interactions in Developing Social Cohesion
Having meaningful interactions between people, especially those from different backgrounds, helps break down stereotypes and reduce prejudice resulting from not knowing and not interacting with each other.
According to Miles Hewstone (cited in Department for Communities and Local Government, 2009), depending on social psychology research, meaningful interactions help reduce stereotypes and prejudice by paving the way to positive contacts between people from different groups. It helps reduce negative attitudes towards people from another group and towards the group itself. Because inter-group interactions change how we feel about others from different backgrounds. Consequently, it helps reduce our prejudices and assumptions about a specific person or social group or community. As Hewstone points out, meaningful interactions across different groups facilitate mitigation against a perceived threat, intergroup anxiety, and negative out-group emotions. He also urges that they promote positive feelings among people from different backgrounds by encouraging empathy, expanding perspective, promoting mutual sharing of personal information, and positive intergroup feelings. He also states that people do not need to interact by themselves; even seeing the interaction between people from their group and people from another group can also positively create this effect.
Meaningful interactions can promote social cohesion by helping people’s individual development. It is evident that once people are developed individually and their perspectives are broadened, it will positively affect the promotion of social cohesion. In this sense, meaningful interactions:
- “help individuals to develop and grow,
- give them a sense of purpose,
- help their integration,
- improve overall life outcomes,
- help change individuals’ lives since they can share their plans, get others’ suggestions, and learn useful contacts,
- help develop social skills, especially for younger people (e.g., understanding other people),
- help reduce fear among generations,
- help people keep themselves active and involved,
- help create/broaden their network” (Department for Communities and Local Government, 2009).
The above-mentioned positive effects of meaningful interactions at the individual level will eventually encourage positive effects on the societal level. For example, they will allow more integration and sustainable communities since resolving existing or emerging issues will be easier. In such a society, people will welcome diversity and benefit from learning from each other rather than seeing each other as threats. Through meaningful interactions, people will enjoy achieving something together for the society and themselves. Meaningful interaction will help form a foundation for cohesion within and between communities (ibid).
Interested in more in-depth information on meaningful interactions? Check out the Methodological Guide 👉 https://www.thecommunityproject.eu/community-methodological-guide/
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