Module 6b Transcript - Social Support

This set of vocabulary flashcards covers the mechanisms of social support, types of supportive behavior, the concept of invisible support, and the four styles of responding to positive events known as capitalization.

Social Support

One-sided interactions where one partner has a problem outside the relationship and seeks assistance or reassurance from the other partner, impacting recovery, mood, and relationship commitment.

Responsiveness

The extent to which the recipient judges the support they receive to be appropriate for their specific needs, which determines how effective the support is in strengthening the relationship.

Emotional Support

A form of support involving empathizing with a partner's frustrations or offering reassurance about their feelings and future well-being.

Instrumental Support

Also called practical support, this involves helping a partner with tangible tasks such as household chores, laundry, bringing groceries, or cooking meals.

Informational Support

A type of assistance where a partner provides facts, researches options, or advises the other on how to access necessary resources or accommodations.

Invisible Social Support

Actions taken by a partner to ease distress that are not recognized by the recipient as support; research suggests this results in better outcomes as it avoids threatening the recipient's self-esteem.

Capitalization

The act of sharing positive events with others to relive and heighten associated emotions, and to experience being positively viewed by others.

Active-constructive Response

A reaction to good news where the partner shares enthusiasm, shows genuine happiness, and asks questions to hear more details; associated with the highest intimacy.

Passive-constructive Response

A relatively positive but low-enthusiasm response to good news that lacks prompt for more detail and may pivot to other concerns.

Active-destructive Response

A reaction that responds negatively to good news by pointing out potential problems, downsides, or reasons to be skeptical of the success.

Passive-destructive Response

A reaction that shows lack of interest by taking the focus away from the partner's news and deflecting the conversation to oneself or another topic.