ABSTRACT
In a seminal paper published over a decade ago, Heller (1979) observed that social scientists’ conceptions of how social relationships affect health and wellbeing have been characterized by major swings, shifting from a preoccupation with the pathological effects of social bonds in one historical era to a preoccupation with the restorative effects of social bonds in another era. Heller (1979) lamented the lack of more balanced approaches to the study of social relationships and adaptation, and noted, as others have (e.g., Coyne, 1990; Eckenrode & Gore, 1981; House, Landis, & Umberson, 1988; Rook & Pietromonaco, 1987), that contemporary work has been dominated by nearly unwavering enthusiasm for the construct of social support. That is, most contemporary work on the adaptive significance of social ties has been guided by the assumption that the availability of support through one’s exchanges with others is what matters most for emotional and physical health. More recently, researchers have challenged this assumption and have urged greater attention to the problematic as well as the supportive aspects of social bonds. The purpose of this chapter is to take stock of an emerging literature on the troublesome interactions that occur with informal social networks.
