Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2015 May;19(2):113-47.
doi: 10.1177/1088868314544222. Epub 2014 Aug 14.

A new look at social support: a theoretical perspective on thriving through relationships

Brooke C Feeney  1 , Nancy L Collins  2
Affiliations

A new look at social support: a theoretical perspective on thriving through relationships

Brooke C Feeney et al. Pers Soc Psychol Rev. 2015 May.

Abstract

Close and caring relationships are undeniably linked to health and well-being at all stages in the life span. Yet the specific pathways through which close relationships promote optimal well-being are not well understood. In this article, we present a model of thriving through relationships to provide a theoretical foundation for identifying the specific interpersonal processes that underlie the effects of close relationships on thriving. This model highlights two life contexts through which people may potentially thrive (coping successfully with life's adversities and actively pursuing life opportunities for growth and development), it proposes two relational support functions that are fundamental to the experience of thriving in each life context, and it identifies mediators through which relational support is likely to have long-term effects on thriving. This perspective highlights the need for researchers to take a new look at social support by conceptualizing it as an interpersonal process with a focus on thriving.

Keywords: attachment; growth; relational catalyst; relationships; resilience; safe haven; secure base; social support; source of strength; thriving.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Conceptual framework for thriving through relationships.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Model of interpersonal processes involved in the provision of source of strength (SOS) and relational catalyst (RC) support for thriving.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Acitelli LK. The neglected links between marital support and marital satisfaction. In: Pierce GR, Sarason BR, Sarason IG, editors. Handbook of social support and the family. New York: Plenum Press; 1996. pp. 83–103.
    1. Ainsworth MDS, Blehar MC, Waters E, Wall S. Patterns of attachment: psychological study of the strange situation. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum; 1978.
    1. Ahrens CJC, Ryff CD. Multiple roles and well-being: Sociodemographic and psychological moderators. Sex Roles. 2006;55:801–815.
    1. Aknin LB, Barrington-Leigh CP, Dunn EW, Helliwell JF, Burns J, Biswas-Diener R, et al. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 2013 - PubMed
    1. Aldwin CM, Sutton KJ, Lachman M. The development of coping resources in adulthood. Journal of Personality. 1996;64:837–871. - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources