Social Support, Interpersonal Relations, and Health: Benefits and Liabilities

In the 1970s a considerable amount was written about the help and assistance people receive from informal support systems such as family, friends, and neighbors. Many scholars (Cassel, 1976; Cobb, 1976; Dean & Lin, 1977; Kaplan, Cassel, & Gore, 1977) have argued that persons who are part of a social network are less negatively affected by stressful life problems and are less likely to fall ill. It is also widely maintained that naturally existing support systems facilitate coping and recovery if the person should succumb to some form of illness.