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Vital Bonds: Social Support, Social Networks, and Health

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The Sociology of Community Connections

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Abstract

For some people it is so enmeshed in their daily lives that they take it for granted, others experience it when people rally around them in a crisis, and still others may never experience it at all. This tangible and intangible aspect of human behavior is called social support. The term “social support” is generally not used in everyday conversation, rather it is referred to as “she is always there when I need her,” or “she is the only person I can trust and confide in,” or “I get lots of help from my neighbors,” or “he is someone I can always count on.” Socially supportive behavior indicates that people have a reciprocal helping relationship, that they genuinely care about one another, and that the needs of others equal or surpass one’s own needs.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    See Bruhn and Philips (1987).

  2. 2.

    Progress into understanding the emotional pain induced by social exclusion has been made by the recent neuroimaging study of Eisenberger and her colleagues who tested the hypothesis that the brain bases of social pain are similar to those of physical pain. See Eisenberger, Lieberman, and Williams (2003), also Panksepp (2003).

  3. 3.

    See Luks and Payre (1991).

  4. 4.

    See, for example, the Grief Pattern Inventory developed by Martin and Doka (2000).

  5. 5.

    See Bruhn (2009).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona, 86011, USA

    John G. Bruhn

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  1. John G. Bruhn
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Correspondence to John G. Bruhn .

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Bruhn, J.G. (2011). Vital Bonds: Social Support, Social Networks, and Health. In: The Sociology of Community Connections. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-1633-9_10

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