4 - Cognitive aspects of social support processes

Summary

The study of social support is frequently described in terms of dichotomies: studies of social support as a personality trait versus a situational factor, investigations of perceived levels of support versus actual supportive transactions, studies of structure versus studies of function, etc. To some extent these dichotomies simply reflect investigators' theoretical backgrounds or the limitations of the methods they employ, but they do emphasise the exceedingly complex nature of social support processes. In the individual case support-seeking and support-giving depend upon a variety of factors, both social (such as the availability of support, or the opportunity to give it) and cognitive (such as the appraisal that support is worth seeking or will be appreciated). In this chapter I will describe how a cognitive perspective is of value in understanding some of the mechanisms that underlie these interrelated processes.

The chapter is divided into four sections. In the first I discuss social support as a personality or individual difference variable, emphasising continuities in individuals' expectations of the support they can expect to receive, and in their propensities to approach or avoid others for the purpose of obtaining support. Evidence linking these propensities to early childhood experiences will be reviewed. The second section will be concerned with the cognitive appraisal of situations and with the types of appraisal that are likely to encourage or inhibit the seeking of support.