Friendly at a Distance: The Experiences of Social Interaction in Swedish Society

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to examine the relevance and experience of social interaction in Lund, Sweden. Contemporary Sweden has been subjected to a global reputation of being a society whose social climate is viewed as one of high reservation, and unsociability. The assumption that native Swedes are shy, and prefer solitude are other perceptions. Statistical reports of mental health seem to indicate a discrepancy between the considerably functional welfare status Sweden has earned globally with its egalitarian message and commitment to life quality for its citizens versus its reputation as a faulty social climate, causing headlines around integration policies. This study used a phenomenological, emergent design in which five qualitative interviews were conducted consisting of three native, and two non-native Swedes. The narrative texts were analyzed with the Meaning Constitution Analysis (MCA) -Minerva (Phenomenological software program) as well as analysis of entity and predicate content from the interview material. The results reveal that Swedish social climate is perceived as being one with high levels of isolation, reservation, individualism, in which Swedish social norms contributes to the challenges of loneliness, exclusion, the lacking of trust and openness, perceived to exist within social interactions amongst individuals. Majority of experiences spoken about were of a negative nature. Positive experiences of social interaction were pertaining to helpfulness, and close friendships. The conclusions are that participant’s experiences of social interactions in Sweden, are regarded as troublesome and affect their own wellbeing, and to some extent affect their perception of others wellbeing. Key words: social interaction, Sweden, isolation, social norms, mental health, phenomenology