Psychology and Social Connection
Lady Margaret Hall, University of Oxford
Key Information
Campus location
Oxford, United Kingdom
Languages
English
Study format
Distance Learning
Duration
3 weeks
Pace
Full time
Tuition fees
GBP 3,980 / per course
Application deadline
10 May 2024
Earliest start date
24 Jun 2024
Introduction
What is the secret to a life well lived? People may accumulate wealth and success, and yet find themselves feeling lonely and unfulfilled – what’s missing? The empirical evidence is unusually clear: the most significant determinant in how happy, healthy, and long a life we lead is our social connection, that is, how connected we feel to other human beings. In many societies, however, loneliness has been on the rise, attributed variously to pandemic restrictions, an increasing reliance on digital interactions, or an emphasis on individualism over community.
This course examines why nurturing supportive relationships matter to mental health and how people create bonds with one another. You will learn about the types of social network, and how different people nurture their networks, especially when entering new social environments or facing a life transition. You will also investigate why people can be naturally suspicious of those who seem at first glance to be ‘different’, and how human beings can nonetheless form successful diverse interconnected communities. This exciting course spans several areas of psychology, including evolutionary, social, and clinical psychology, and the psychology of individual differences, to explore how and why humans choose social connection with others.
Available as a Residential or Online course on the following dates:
26th June 2023 to 14th July 2023
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Ideal Students
This course would suit students from a range of disciplines, including not only students with prior experience in Psychology interested in a modern area of research, but also students without formal academic experience in the subject but who are interested in a scientific study of social relationships.
Admissions
Scholarships and Funding
Lady Margaret Hall does not offer scholarships or grants for participation in the LMH Summer Programmes, but many students find they are able to seek financial assistance from their home university or academic department. The best first point of contact is likely the Study Abroad / International Education Office at your university.
Program Outcome
By the end of this course, you will:
- Be able to examine critically the role of nurturing supportive relationships on mental health and wellbeing.
- Be able to demonstrate knowledge of different types of social networks and how people navigate them.
- Be able to demonstrate awareness of research into well-being, individual differences, and social psychology.
- Be able to evaluate critically empirical findings from psychological research.