Essay On Social Support

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Social support is defined as the existence and availability of friends and other people, including family, on whom we can rely, in times of need or crisis to give us a positive self-image (Towey, 2013). In addition, social support is provided by those people who express care, value and love towards others. It plays a positive role in psychological adjustment and health and this can be observed in several settings. For example, in developing a strong, mutual tie amongst each other, soldiers ensure the success and survival of their peers. Physicians observe the salutary effects of their attention and concern on their patients’ well-being and recovery from illness. These observations lead to social support playing two major roles in our life: (a) it contributes to positive adjustment and personal development and (b) provides a buffer against the effects of adversity and stress (Sarason, Levine, Basham, & Sarason, 1983). Relevance of Social Support to Literature Social support has been studied by several who have developed theories with sufficient evidence. Bowlby’s theory of attachment relies heavily on the ideas presented by social support. It suggests that children are “pre-programmed” to form attachments with others, as it will enhance their survival (McLeod, 2007). Bowlby believes that the availability of social support, in the form of attachment, lead children to become self-reliant, learn to be support figures for others and be less likely to develop psychopathology later in their lives. Furthermore, Bowlby’s research has also shown that the availability of social support increases the ability to cope with and overcome frustrations and challenges. This concept of social support is further evident in research conducted by Murphy... ... middle of paper ... ...t with an increases in experiences like psychotherapy or illness? Furthermore, we could also look at the personality and social psychology aspect of social support to see if there is a correlation between social skill and perceived social support (ie. do people who have higher levels of social skill have many social supports?). Finally, we could conduct further research to see if social support can act as a buffer against stress. In order to assess these relations, researchers would have to undergo clinical, developmental and experimental studies, in which case, it would be necessary to revise the scale used. Depending on the variables being used and the outcomes being measured, the scale could be revised by adding additional items as well as constructing items which reflect the particular outcome being measured in relation to the construct; that is social support.

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