Participation in formal social networks, while not synonymous with social integration,
certainly can be interpreted as a part of it. By interacting in organizations with
goals and role expectations, people gain a sense of who they are and where they are.
Putting out the decorations for the service center every month was, for one respondent,
a very important task because all the club members depended on it. This gave
her a sense of self-worth and caused her to push herself physically to get out and
interact with people in spite of health problems that easily could have led to staying
home and giving up.