Background information
Social relationships fulfil many key (survival) functions, making the biological basic need for attachment and connection deeply rooted. Relationships can support us to deal with demands and challenges. Mutual activities and the feeling of cohesion and being together with another person and/or a group evoke positive feelings and can improve mood. Further, relationships make it possible to receive interpersonal feedback, and thereby learn and adapt one’s own behaviour.
To maintain healthy relationships, a balance of giving and taking is key, both being able to take back one’s own needs and accept the help of others. One-sided relationships are unhealthy and have a lower chance of survival.
The goal of this session is to recognise one’s own patterns within relationships, for example whether it feels easier to mind oneself or mind others, or whether it is easier to accept or to give help. Further this session offers the opportunity to try out and reflect on strategies to maintain relationships, for example a mindful perceiving of the other, empathy and boundaries (taking an other’s perspective is difficult and does not always work), as well as negotiating and being considerate to each other – this can only be achieved through communication and cooperation.
Key questions
- Why do we need relationships at all? What is the function of a social network?
- How are social relationships maintained? When and why do relationships break?
- How was it to boulder together with your partner/your team? Would you have preferred to boulder on your own? Why? What does it take, to boulder well together?
- How do you feel about accepting help from others/when someone is taking your needs into consideration? Is it easier for you to support others/help, or to receive support and help?
- Do you know the feeling that it can be hard to put yourself into someone else’s shoes? What could help with that?
Learning goals
Conscious awareness and acceptance of (positive) social feedback.
Give and Take as part of social relationships (to mind oneself – to mind the other).
Avoiding misunderstandings through communication.
Taking perspective and consideration from outside: subjective interpretation of another person’s actions do not necessarily represent reality.
