Parallels in the Study of Social Support and Social Strain

For most people, social relationships undoubtedly function more often as assets than as liabilities. Yet social relationships clearly can be a source of stress as well as support and companionship, and evidence suggests that negative social exchanges have potent effects on psychological well-being. To achieve a more comprehensive understanding of how social bonds affect emotional and physical health, greater attention is needed to the problematic exchanges that occur within informal social networks. Researchers interested in the negative aspects of social relationships face many of the same conceptual and methodological issues that have challenged social support researchers. This paper examines several of these parallel issues, highlighting important gaps in our existing knowledge base regarding the manner in which negative interpersonal transactions affect well being.