ABSTRACT
Twenty years after interest in social support began to take strong theoretical and empirical form, the topic now finds itself in what perhaps can be described as the awkward state of late adolescence. Although there has been much development, growth alone does not define maturity, and the present state of knowledge is not without its infelicities and blemishes. This is not to say that thinking on social support has not progressed along a number of lines. We clearly have more differentiated conceptualizations of the component dimensions of the idea, more refined methods for measuring individual differences along such dimensions, better research designs for studying the effects of support, and a wealth of empirical reports from which to draw inferences about our ideas and with which to guide future inquiry. Yet the gangly literature lacks an overriding sense of coordination and coherence. It is time to highlight areas in which understanding has not progressed so smoothly and in which immaturities may hinder further developments.
