Abstract
We became interested in the topic of social support while studying how people cope with a variety of life crises such as loss of a loved one, life-threatening illness, and physical disability. In most discussions of social support, it is generally assumed that support attempts made by the provider will be valued and appreciated by the receiver. There is growing awareness that in many cases, however, others’ well-intentioned efforts to provide support may be regarded as unhelpful by the recipient, may result in negative consequences, or both (Dunkel-Schetter & Wortman, 1982a; 1982b; House, 1981; Thoits, 1982). In a study we recently completed on coping with the loss of a spouse or child (Lehman, Wortman & Williams, in press), respondents reported that others frequently tried to support them by making statements like, “I know exactly how you feel,” “It was God’s will,” or “It’s a good thing you have other children.” Such statements were commonly judged by respondents to be unhelpful (see also Glick, Weiss & Parkes, 1974; Maddison & Walker, 1967).
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© 1985 Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, Dordrecht
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Wortman, C.B., Lehman, D.R. (1985). Reactions to Victims of Life Crises: Support Attempts That Fail. In: Sarason, I.G., Sarason, B.R. (eds) Social Support: Theory, Research and Applications. NATO ASI Series, vol 24. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-5115-0_24
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