Sociological Explanation of the Effect of Social Capital on Social Adjustment: Residents of Residential Complexes in Isfahan

Today, most people in the world live in cities, where urban population is expanding rapidly, especially in the so-called less developed countries. The rapid increase in urban population and the encounter with natural obstacles and ecological problems have led to the vertical growth of cities and necessitated the use of minimum space for accommodating maximum number of people. Previous research shows that most residents of residential complexes have not found necessary adaptation to living conditions in these complexes and thus been compelled to accept such type of housing, contrary to the culture and attitude of the traditional society, while being unfamiliar with the laws and culture of apartment complexes. Social relations within a residential complex and residents’ economic and cultural levels have provided more security, but not social adaptation for their social life. Accordingly, living in residential complexes requires a change in some behavioral patterns. Social capital is one of the variables that can affect the degree of social adjustment. Therefore, the present study sought to investigate the sociological effect of social capital on social adjustment. In addition, an attempt was made to answer the basic question of whether social capital and its dimensions affect the residents’ levels of social adjustment in the residential complexes in Isfahan or not.  

This study was a descriptive survey and an applied research based on purpose and data collection, respectively. The data collection tool was a combination of standard and researcher-made questionnaires. The California Personality Scale was utilized for the Social Adjustment Scale, which could measure a person's individual and social adjustment profiles (first published by Thorbe, Clark, and Tiggs in 1939, quoted by Khodayari Fard et al., 2007). It consisted of the two general tests of self-adjustment and social adjustment. In this study, only its social adjustment section was applied for the residential complexes. The components of social capital were selected based on Putnam’s theory.The validity of the questionnaire was evaluated and verified using the expert judgement. To determine the acceptable levels of the indicators in the measurement models, first, the confirmatory factor analysis of the research variables was done. To assess the reliability of the questionnaire, Cronbach's alpha coefficient was used. The statistical population of this research included all the individuals and households living in residential complexes in Isfahan (about 1155,800 people). According to Cochran's formula, 385 residents were selected as the sample. Data analysis was performed using SPSS and AMOS software.

According to the descriptive analysis, the male and female respondents constituted 27.5 and 72.5% of the total sample. In terms of age, 38.4, 30.6, 28.1, and 2.9% of them were 50 years and older, 40-50 years old, 30-40 years old, and under 30 years old, respectively. Also, 96.9, 2.1, and 1% of them were married, single, and divorced, respectively. Education level was another variable studied in this research. According to the results, the highest percentage (48.1%) of the total sample included postgraduate students and or had a bachelor's degree, while the lowest percentage (2.6%) of them consisted of illiterate people. In terms of the length of residence, the highest (68.3%) and lowest (7.8%) percentages of the respondents lived 5-10 years and more than 11 years in the complexes, respectively. In terms of cultural capital, the residents’ cultural capitals were high (9 and 6), low (5 and 2) and medium (4, 1, 10, 8, and 7) (scores above 100). The social capitals of region (6) and regions 1 and 4 were lower than the average (scores of 70-100). The middle- and lower-level areas of the city were found to have a much higher social capital compared to the upper level areas probably due to the residents’ interactions with their neighbors and relatives.The findings related to the main hypothesis of the research showed that social capital affected the residents’ levels of social adjustment to their residential complexes in Isfahan. In other words, the higher the residents’ social capital was, the higher their social adjustment was too. Therefore, with the increase of their social capital, their social adaptation was enhanced. The more the residents interacted and communicated with each other, the more their social adaptation were augmented.The findings related to the 1st hypothesis of the research showed that the residents’ social trust affected their social adjustment. Therefore, the more the residents trusted each other, the more their social adjustment in those complexes expanded.The results of examining the 2nd hypothesis demonstrated that the residents' connection to social networks had an effect on their social adjustment. Therefore, the stronger social networks they had, the higher their levels of social adaptation in their complexes were.The findings related to the 3rd hypothesis of the research indicated that the residents’ normativeness had an impact on their social adjustment.. That is, the more those people considered the norms related to their complexes such as cooperating with the board of directors, handling the affairs of their complexes, and feeling being useful in solving the problems of their complexes, the more their social adjustment expanded.The results of this study showed that the degree to which a person had an appropriate social capital (such as social networks, social participation, and normativeness) acted as an important factor in the occurrence of social adjustment.A high social capital in the society brings comfort and tranquility to the individuals,  creates security and increases social participation, while the lack of social capital could lead to enhanced incompatibility and inappropriate behaviors among the residents of residential complexes. Therefore, social adjustment is one of the factors that can be observed in the presence of appropriate social capital among activists and residents of residential complexes.The results obtained indicated that the residents’ social capitals of the residential complexes in regions 2, 10, 9, and 8 were at a high level, while in region 6 it was at a low level. Consequently, the residential areas 4 and 1 were at an average level.