Reciprocity and the Coping Strategies of Older People: Cultural Dimensions of Network Building

A two-year anthropological study used structured interviews and participant observation to obtain an insider's perspective on “helping out” within the networks of fifty older people living in the urban South. This paper describes: (1) the cultural rules directing exchanges of support within the networks, and (2) the variation in the way older individuals interpret these rules in creating support over time. The research also reveals the great personal significance of reciprocity for preserving the self-esteem of older people.