Social Relationships

Abstract

In Chapter 11, reference was made to Hilgard’s (1987) observation that one of the major thrusts in studies of social motivation has been the analysis of social relations. We have also indicated previously that B. Weiner (1992, p. 363) believes that a theory of human motivation must be able to account for affiliative goals. The present topic is of major significance in gerontology, for many older persons would be hard pressed to manage without the assistance of others. Such dependencies have led to the proposition that organisms have a need for what has been variously called attachment, social contact, or social relationships. The whole discipline of sociology is based on the assumption that social interactions are an essential part of human existence. The need to belong manifests itself already in most animal species; from the earliest period of human evolutionary development, mating, subsistence, and protection required the presence of more than one person. The “lone wolf” is a common pejorative metaphor.