The Nature and Elicitation of Social Support: Some Implications for the Helping Professions

Long recognized as an important modifier in the relationship between stress and illness, social support appears in the light of recent research to include emotional, informational and practical components available from a variety of lay and professional sources. Health and mental health disturbances are more closely associated with inadequate than with unavailable social support. Individuals who report inadequate social support may lack skills in support-elicitation, of which this paper specifies several based on what is known of interpersonal style in depression and loneliness. The implications of this analysis for the helping professions refer to both therapeutic practice and the helper's work satisfaction.