Expressive relations and social support

Abstract

This chapter focuses more closely on one part of the findings—the set of expressive relations. A great deal of attention has been paid in earlier studies to the importance of social contact for the well-being of older people. Some find relations between limited aspects of well-being and social interaction, but doubt an overall relationship. The research on the association between social contact and morale is generally confined to two basic points. The more general of these is a quantitative point—‘more is better’—which says little about qualitative differences. Thus, questions such as whether two totally reliable and helpful friends, who provide support in many ways, are ‘better’ than a dozen looser and less detailed relationships, tend not to be posed. Given a long tradition in the social sciences that stresses the importance of the ‘significant other’ who serves as a mirror providing self-confirmation it is surprising that so little attention has been paid to this factor in literature on social support.

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