ABSTRACT
Social cooperation is fundamental to our lives. It has played historically, and still plays today, a key role in the effort by human beings to protect, feed, and look after themselves, and therefore in the survival of the species. Relationships provide meaning, support and opportunities. De®cient or defective social interactions are a major source of physical and mental disorders and of daily stress. Good relationships, on the contrary, are crucial to people's well-being. Positive feedback from others and interpersonal attachments strengthen one's capabilities, autonomy and self-esteem. The environment where we form our earliest connections is the family. Social bonds begin in the family and are the basic building blocks of the larger process of socialization. Friendships and school then extend the child's social world. Social interactions and attachments to other people develop the adult's aptitude for relationship and community.
