After reading study unit four I can fully understand how my social network functions and how I have been able to maintain my social relationships over such a long period of time. I know now that social relations differs for everyone after I thought that most people had this one thing in common.

I will start of by explaining how my family and I maintain a healthy and very close relationship. My family also formes part of my kinship structure. Reciprocities means to exchange comersial benefits. So this is definitely not the word. Let me explain why. The things that my mother and father do for me I could never return that kind of value but we maintain a loving relationship by me being endlesley thankful for what they do for me and showing my thankfulness through respect and helping where I can. In my parents eyes the only thing they expect of me is to furfil my role as a daughter in the household. My brother and I play equally important roles in each others lives. Then lastly I have my best friend. When I for example buy her a gift, the last thing I would expect of her is to buy me something in return because she knows that the biggest gift for me in return would be her showing how much she enjoys that specific gift. Evan if the roles are reversed she would react the same.

Secondly the community I grew up in mean quite a lot to me therefore I make sure to maintain a good relationship with them. Reciprocities plays quite a big role when it comes to myself and my community. For example if one of my family friends buy me a birthday gift I would also buy her a gift when its her birthday making sure that the gift has equal value then the one she bought me. Not because I have to but because I do not want her to feel that she is the only one putting effort into our relationship. I understand that reciprocities are more relevant in a community that is in a state of poverty but it can still be used otherwise to maintain healthy relationships.

A big social network I am now part of is the university because this is the social system I form part of every day. The relationships I formed here also requires reseprocities. For example one of my friends cannot cook so I offred to cook for her but in return I can eat some of her food. So this fits us both perfectly. Another one of my friends help me with some of my tasks and in return I buy her coffee.

In the blog above I learned how my social network works and where exactley I fit in. I also learned what a big of a role reciprocities play in my everyday life.