Maharashtra Board Class 10 Science Part 2 Chapter 9 Social health PDF Download

9. Social Health

Elders always instruct you to get out of the home to interact with relatives and others and play outdoor games but not to spend time continuously with television, phone and internet.

Lets Think

Why the children of your age are instructed same in each home? Our lifestyle has been changed to some extent in this age of technology. Each person is busy with own daily routine work and favorite job only. How much is it scientifically correct?

Earlier, we have studied the importance of physical health, cleanliness and staying healthy. However, the concept of health does not end with it only.

Social Health
Factors endangering the social health
Stress Management

Try This

Classify your classmates into following groups depending upon the observation for a week.

1. Highly interactive.

2. Occasionally interactive.

3. Non-interactive

Make a list of the friends of each of the above three group members and also mention the group to which you belong.

Teacher's Note

Social health means how well we talk and play with friends and family. Like in your school, some children play together happily while others sit alone.

Exam Trick

Remember: Social health = friendship and talking. Just like your body needs food, your mind needs friends.

Points to Remember

Social health means making and keeping good friends.
We should talk with family and play with others.
Staying alone all the time is not good for us.
Technology like phones can make us lonely if used too much.

9.1 Factors Affecting The Social Health

Observe And Discuss

Observe the following chart. Discuss about the relationship of various factors shown therein with the social health.

Teacher's Note

Many things around us affect our social health like clean water, good schools, and safe places to play. In India, many schools now have playgrounds where children can play together and become healthy and happy.

Exam Trick

Remember: Social health needs good schools, clean water, safe places, and money. Think of your own neighborhood - do you have all these things?

Points to Remember

Social health depends on education and job chances.
Clean water and toilets are needed for good health.
Safe and clean places help people live better.
Having money to buy food and clothes is important.
Good roads and transport help people meet each other.

Social Health

Out of the various aspects of social health, we thought about only one in the above mentioned activity. Social health is the ability of a person to establish relationship with other persons. Ability to change one's own behavior according to changing social conditions is an important characteristic of social health. Various factors like strong personality, having large number of friends and relatives, proper use of time during loneliness and with peer-group, trust in others, respect and acceptance for others are important for good social health. We have seen that various factors affect the social health.

Teacher's Note

Social health means how well we make friends and get along with others. In India, we say "unity in diversity" which means people from different backgrounds should be friends and help each other.

Exam Trick

Remember: Good social health = many friends + trust + respect. Like a team in cricket, everyone works together and wins together.

Points to Remember

Social health means having good friends and family.
We should trust and respect other people.
We should change our behavior when things around us change.
Strong personality and good communication are important.
Having many friends and relatives makes us happy.

Factors Disturbing The Social Health

Mental Stress

Competition has increased in opportunities for education, employment and business due to increase in population. Children are facing the problems of loneliness and mental stress due to reasons like nuclear family and parents staying outdoors due to job. There are many bindings on girls and excessive freedom for boys in some families. Boys enjoy the concession from their domestic duties where as girls have compulsion for the same on the pretext that 'should be used to it'. Do you see the advertisements about increasing awareness on avoiding the discrimination between girls and boys or sister and brother in same family on choice for fresh/left-over food, learning medium? In society too, adolescent girls have to unnecessarily face the problems like teasing and molestation. Girls are facing the problem of stress due to such gender inequality.

Now a days, everyone has to face the stress due to ever increasing disorder, crime and violence. At the same time, people looking at this as 'fast and easy way of making money' may become scapegoats and become part of such system. This is the deadly effect of social illness.

Teacher's Note

Mental stress happens when children have too much competition in school or when families treat boys and girls differently. In India, we are working to make schools and families treat all children equally and fairly.

Exam Trick

Remember: Mental stress = too much competition + bad family habits + gender discrimination. Like a pressure cooker, if stress builds up too much, it can explode.

Points to Remember

Mental stress comes from too much school and job competition.
Girls and boys should be treated equally in families.
Teasing and bad behavior causes stress in girls.
Crime and violence in the world cause stress to everyone.
Many children feel lonely because parents are busy outside.

9.3 Addiction Control

Addiction

Peer-group influence is stronger in case of adolescents. Adolescents always prefer the company of friends and follow their good or bad habits instead of following advice of parents and teachers. Children in their early age try upon tobacco, cigarette, gutkha, alcoholic drinks, drugs, etc. due to either peer-group pressure or symbol of high standard living or as an imitation of elders. However, it may lead to addiction to such deadly substances. Temporarily intoxicating drugs of plant origin and some chemicals may permanently damage the human nervous system, muscle system, heart, etc. Earlier, we have studied the carcinogenic effect of tobacco containing substances on mouth and lungs.

Teacher's Note

Friends have big power over children. Children try bad things like smoking and drinking because their friends do it. In India, many schools teach children to say "no" to these bad things even when friends say yes.

Exam Trick

Remember: Addiction = doing something again and again even when it hurts us. Like a sweet habit, once you start, it is hard to stop.

Points to Remember

Friends have strong power over children's behavior.
Tobacco and alcohol permanently damage our body.
Drugs damage the brain, heart, and muscles.
Many children try bad things to look cool or rich.
Addiction is very hard to stop once it starts.

This is a preview of the first 3 pages. To get the complete book, click below.