Perceived Social Support and It's Implication on Life Satisfaction (Term Paper Sample)

PERCEIVED SOCIAL SUPPORT AND ITS IMPLICATION ON LIFE SATISFACTION: CASE STUDY OF THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES (UAE)
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Table of Contents TOC \o "1-3" \h \z \u Abstract PAGEREF _Toc100911380 \h 3Introduction PAGEREF _Toc100911381 \h 4Perceived Social Support PAGEREF _Toc100911382 \h 5Life Satisfaction PAGEREF _Toc100911383 \h 7Subjective well-being PAGEREF _Toc100911384 \h 8The United Arab Emirates (UAE) PAGEREF _Toc100911385 \h 8Family and life Satisfaction in the United Arab Emirates PAGEREF _Toc100911386 \h 10Gender and Life Satisfaction in the United Arab Emirates PAGEREF _Toc100911387 \h 16Conclusion PAGEREF _Toc100911388 \h 18
Abstract
This paper is a literature analysis analyzing the relationship between people's perceptions of social support and their overall well-being in the United Arab Emirates, with a particular focus on family and gender. This study reviewed 30 peer-reviewed articles related to perceived social support, life satisfaction, and the experiences and well-being of multicultural United Arab Emirates (UAE) residents. The quality of life has improved in the United Arab Emirates, resulting in higher rates of life satisfaction. The attachments this gulf country has with culture make family the most significant source of social support. This study has established that males perceive more social support than women. On the other hand, women are more satisfied with life in marriage, while education contributes more to satisfaction among men. This study concludes that the situation of foreign expatriates requires more attention to improve their satisfaction with life.
Introduction
The United Arab Emirates is a melting pot of nations and cultures. Residents' perceptions of social support, and thus their level of well-being, are altered by living in this metropolis. The term “perceived social support” refers to a person's belief that they have a trustworthy social network to turn to in crisis (Quinones & Kakabadse, 2015). There are many ways people might receive social support, such as from their loved ones, close friends, and romantic partners (Quinones & Kakabadse, 2015). A person's level of life satisfaction can be gauged by looking at things like their mood, level of happiness in their relationships, accomplishments, self-perception and ability to deal with the stresses of daily life (Badri et al., 2022). People who are content with their lives tend to have a positive outlook on things rather than focusing on how they feel at the moment (Bataineh & Alsagheer, 2012). There has not been any research on the connection between life satisfaction and a person's perception of their social support while residing or working in the United Arab Emirates, regardless of gender, race, or nationality. Furthermore, it is not obvious how or why people in the United Arab Emirates consider social support linked to life satisfaction.
People's feelings about their lives are not influenced by factors such as the GDP, the number of years of education, or the amount of money they have contributed to society (Bi et al., 2021; D'raven, Raven, & Zaidi, 2015). Experts believe that subjective data is credible, reliable, and appropriate to utilize even though it suffers from response bias (D'raven et al., 2015). Ngoo, Tey, & Tan (2014) cite that several studies have established the reliability of such responses. Getting the most out of life necessitates looking at the big picture (Siedlecki, Salthouse, Oishi, & Jeswani, 2013). People's overall contentment with their lives, as measured by measures such as life satisfaction (Waterhouse, Samra, & Lucassen, 2022; Vignoli, Pirani, & Salvini, 2013), can be viewed as a barometer of the general state of well-being in society as a whole (Lambert, Karabchuk, & Joshanloo, 2020).
Social needs take precedence over economic desires as an individual's wealth increases; hence perceived social support provides more value to life satisfaction (Lambert et al., 2020). There must be an emphasis on social freedoms of choice and expression and tolerance in order for everyone to reap the benefits of their hard work without fear of reprisal. Several studies have found that people who can make their own decisions are more satisfied with their lives (Quinones & Kakabadse, 2015; Bataineh & Alsagheer, 2012). Even adjusted health, wealth, perceptions of corruption, education, social ties, and perceived support are still the most valuable for well-being (Badri et al., 2022; Barbato & Thomas, 2021; Bi et al., 2021; Al-Jenaibi, 2011).
The available literature is mainly based on the experiences of Westerners. However, there is little information about the United Arab Emirates, which has a large expatriate community and is experiencing the shift from an oil-dependent economy to one based on various resources and skills. Thus, the lack of adequate information to ascertain the relationship between perceived social support and life satisfaction in the United Arab Emirates. With a particular focus on family and gender, this literature review intends to analyze the relationship between people's perceptions of social support and their overall well-being in the United Arab Emirates.
Perceived Social Support
“A set or range of frequent interpersonal interactions that assist the individual in meeting physical, psychological, and social requirements” is how Bataineh & Alsagheer (2012) defined “social support.” D'raven, Raven, & Zaidi (2015) emphasized the need to connect with others. According to the researchers, “the elderly has greater demand for social support than other population groups. Elderly people face a wide range of challenges that necessitate attention, including the loss of experience in physical functioning, sensory functioning, mental functioning and the support of family and peers, income, self-image, self-esteem, control and power” (Bakhtiyari, Emaminaeini, Hatami, Khodakarim, & Sahaf, 2017). How well interpersonal ties between members of a group perform key functions is measured by this type of social support. Structural components of support have been emphasized more than functional ones, while psychological factors such as a person's sense of support have been undervalued. For instance, family members are an important source of social support for newly settled in a new culture (Bashir, 2012). Bakhtiyari et al. (2017) indicate that their children, peers, and friends provide them with social support after retirement for the older generation. Family considerations have a major role in a person's decision to work or retire. Family is an important aspect of life that interacts with one's employment situation, as seen from a life-course viewpoint (Ngoo, Tey, & Tan, 2014).
Bataineh & Alsagheer (2012) found that special education instructors who received social support from their supervisors, coworkers, and spouses were less likely to suffer from exhaustion. This study involved 50 men and 250 women. The researchers collected data through questionnaires on exhaustion and sources of social support. Analysis of the data made use of Pearson and Analysis of variance techniques. The findings of this study ascertain that family and colleagues' support and personal success were found to have a strong positive link with life satisfaction (Tahir, 2020; (Savara & Tahir, 2019; Waterhouse, Samra, & Lucassen, 2022). According to Bataineh & Alsagheer (2012), work experience and the demographic characteristics of gender, age, relationship status, and sex have little or no effect on any life satisfaction measures. Generally, family ties are highly strong, and almost all individuals depend on them for psychological, social, and financial support.
Life Satisfaction
Life satisfaction has many definitions and explanations since it is a difficult concept to grasp. “Successful aging” is an operational definition of “Life Satisfaction” (Siedlecki et al., 2013). According to Vignoliet al. (2013), satisfaction with life is “a positive evaluation of the conditions of life resulting in a judgment that is at least on balance; it measures up favorably against standards or expectations.” Hence, life satisfaction is the overarching benchmark or the result of the human experience. Negative life experiences are also a significant factor in determining one's sense of well-being. As defined by cognitive theory, “individuals' cognitive judgment regarding comparisons based on the compatibility of their living conditions with the norms" defines well-being (Garriott, Hudyma, Keene, & Santiago, 2015).
Antecedents of life satisfaction have been best stated in terms of employment, family, and personality attributes (Rupert et al., 2012; Ngoo et al., 2014). How satisfied a person is with their life is defined as “the degree to which a person positively perceives the overall quality of their life as a whole” (Prasoon & Chaturvedi, 2016). Life satisfaction can be experienced through the need to modify one's life and contentment with both the past and the future. The quality of life includes physical and mental health indices, such as life satisfaction. Assessing the total existence conditions is based on the comparability of ambition to actual achievement (Badri et al., 2022; Prasoon & Chaturvedi, 2016; Garriott et al., 2015; Ngoo et al., 2014). The less contradiction between a person's ambitions and achievements, the more content they are in life. According to affective theory, life happiness is an individual's conscious experience that their positive feelings outweigh their negative emotions (Hofmann, Luhmann, Fisher...