The importance of having a social network has increasingly been put in focus.
Social networks involve human relations of various kinds.
A network can be based on own choice of person for a relationship, but can also include other persons in the environment, such as neighbours or work mates. This can also happen in connection with illness or other personal problems. Another reason for a thin social network could be functional impairment involving difficulties to contact other people or becoming an obstacle for other people to make contacts. Persons with functional impairments might have problems to perform social activities or to travel to and from different places, without assistance. They can become outsiders because they are different, due to negative attitudes.