Self-report measures of perceived social support and social undermining consistently have been linked to mental health. Such measures of social relations reflect both shared social reality and respondents’ idiosyncratic perceptions, and each of these two components can have different relations to outcomes. This study investigated the extent to which the shared and idiosyncratic components of support and undermining were related to emotion. A clinical sample of 50 adolescents and their family members completed measures of perceived social support and undermining in the family, social desirability, and positive and negative affect. Shared social reality and idiosyncratic perception had different links to emotion depending on the social construct and the emotion. For social undermining, both shared perceptions and adolescents’ idiosyncratic perceptions independently predicted negative affect. For perceived support, only adolescents’ idiosyncratic perceptions predicted positive affect. Consistent with prior research, support was primarily associated with positive affect, whereas social undermining was primarily related to negative affect.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Abbey, A. , Abramis, D. J., & Caplan, R. D. (1985). The effects of different sources of social support and interpersonal conflict on emotional well-being. Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 6, 111-129.
2.
Abbey, A. , Andrews, F. M., & Halman, L. J. (1995). Provision and receipt of social support and disregard: What is their impact on the marital life quality of infertile and fertile couples?Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 68, 455-469.
3.
Anan, R. M. , & Barnett, D. (1999). Children’s perception of social support: Links with attachment and social information processing. Developmental Psychology, 35, 1210-1222.
4.
Baldwin, M. W. (1992). Relational schemas and the processing of social information. Psychological Bulletin, 112, 461-484.
5.
Baldwin, M. W. , Carrell, S. E., & Lopez, D. F. (1990). Priming relationship schemas: My advisor and the pope are watching me from the back of my mind. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 26, 435-454.
6.
Barrera, M. (1986). Distinctions between social support concepts, measures, and models. American Journal of Community Psychology, 14, 413-445.
7.
Barrera, M. (1988). Models of social support and life stress: Beyond the buffering hypothesis. In L. H. Cohen (Ed.), Life events and psychological functioning: Theoretical and methodological issues (pp. 211-236). Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
8.
Berry, D. S. , & Hansen, J. S. (1996). Positive affect, negative affect, and social interaction. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 71, 796-809.
9.
Campbell, D. T. , & Fiske, D. W. (1959). Convergent and discriminant validation by the multitrait-multimethod matrix. Psychological Bulletin, 56, 81-105.
10.
Clark, L. A. , & Watson, D. (1991). Tripartite model of anxiety and depression: Psychometric evidence and taxonomic implications. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 100, 316-336.
11.
Cohen, S. , & Hoberman, H. M. (1983). Positive events and social supports as buffers of life change stress. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 13, 99-125.
12.
Cohen, S. , Mermelstein, R., Kamarck, T., & Hoberman, H. (1985). Measuring the functional components of social support. In I. G. Sarason & B. R. Sarason (Eds.), Social support: Theory, research and application. Dordrecht, the Netherlands: Martinus Nijhoff.
13.
Cohen, S. , & Wills, T. H. (1985). Stress, social support, and the buffering hypothesis. Psychological Bulletin, 98, 310-357.
14.
Cook, W. L. , & Goldstein, M. J. (1993). Multiple perspectives on family relationships: A latent variables model. Child Development, 64, 1377-1388.
15.
Cook, W. L. , Kenny, D. A., & Goldstein, M. J. (1991). Parental affective style risk and the family system: A social relations model analysis. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 100, 492-501.
16.
Coyne, J. C. , & DeLongis, A. (1986). Going beyond social support: The role of social relationships in adaptation. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 54, 454-460.
17.
Cutrona, C. E. (1989). Ratings of social support by adolescents and adult informants: Degree of correspondence and prediction of depressive symptoms. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 57, 723-730.
18.
Cutrona, C. E. , & Russell, D. W. (1987). The provisions of social relationships and adaptation to stress. In W. H. Jones & D. Perlman (Eds.), Advances in personal relationships (Vol. 1, pp. 37-67). Greenwich, CT: JAI.
19.
Cutrona, C. E. , & Russell, D. W. (1990). Type of social support and specific stress: Toward a theory of optimal matching. In B. R. Sarason, I. G. Sarason, & G. R. Pierce (Eds.), Social support: An interactional view. New York: Plenum.
20.
Dunkel-Schetter, C. , & Bennett, T. L. (1990). Differentiating the cognitive and behavioral aspects of social support. In B. R. Sarason, I. G. Sarason, & G. R. Pierce (Eds.), Social support: An interactional view (pp. 267-296). New York: John Wiley.
21.
Finch, J. F. (1998). Social undermining, support satisfaction, and affect: A domain-specific lagged effects model. Journal of Personality, 66, 315-334.
22.
Finch, J. F. , Okun, M. A., Barrera, M., Jr., Zautra, A. J., & Reich, J. W. (1989). Positive and negative social ties among older adults: Measurement models and the prediction of psychological distress and well-being. American Journal of Community Psychology, 17, 585-605.
23.
Fiore, J. , Becker, J., & Coppel, D. B. (1983). Social network interactions: A buffer or a stress?American Journal of Community Psychology, 11, 423-439.
24.
Graham, J. R. (1987). The MMPI: A practical guide (2nd ed.). New York: Oxford.
25.
Hathaway, S. R. , & McKinley, J. C. (1951). MMPI manual. New York: Psychological Corporation.
26.
Heller, K. , & Lakey, B. (1985). Perceived support and social interaction among friends and confidants. In I. G. Sarason & B. R. Sarason (Eds.), Social support: Theory research and applications (pp. 287-302). The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff.
27.
Heller, K. , & Swindle, R. W. (1983). Social networks, perceived social support, and coping with stress. In R. D. Felner, L. A. Jason, J. N. Moritsugu, & S. S. Farber (Eds.), Preventive psychology: Theory, research and practice (pp. 87-103). New York: Pergamon.
28.
Higgins, E. T. (1987). Self-discrepancy: A theory relating self and affect. Psychological Review, 94, 319-340.
29.
Hollingshead, A. B. (1977). Four factor index of social status. Unpublished manuscript, Department of Sociology, Yale University.
30.
Kenny, D. (1994). Interpersonal perception: A social relations analysis. New York: Guilford.
31.
Kenny, D. , Albright, L., Malloy, T., & Kashy, D. A. (1994). Consensus in interpersonal perception: Acquaintance and the Big Five. Psychological Bulletin, 116, 245-258.
32.
Kiecolt-Glaser, J. K. , Dyer, C. S., & Shuttleworth, E. C. (1988). Upsetting social interactions and distress among Alzheimer’s disease family care-givers: A replication and extension. American Journal of Community Psychology, 16, 825-837.
33.
Lakey, B. , & Cassady, P. B. (1990). Cognitive processes in perceived social support. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 59, 337-348.
34.
Lakey, B. , & Drew, J. B. (1997). A social-cognitive perspective of social support. In G. R. Pierce, B. Lakey, B. R. Sarason, & I. G. Sarason (Eds.), Sourcebook of theory and research on social support and personality (pp. 107-140). New York: Plenum.
35.
Lakey, B. , Drew, J. B., & Sirl, K. (1999). Clinical depression and perceptions of supportive others: A generalizability analysis. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 23, 511-533.
36.
Lakey, B. , & Lutz, C. L. (1996). Increasing social support: Preventive and therapeutic interventions. In G. R. Pierce, B. R. Sarason, & I. G. Sarason (Eds.), Handbook of social support and the family (pp. 435-466). New York: Plenum.
37.
Lakey, B. , McCabe, K., Fisicaro, S., & Drew, J. (1996). Personal and environmental determinants of social support: Three generalizability studies. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 70, 1270-1280.
38.
Lakey, B. , Moineau, S., & Drew, J. B. (1992). Perceived social support and individual differences in the interpretation and recall of supportive behaviors. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 11, 336-348.
39.
Lakey, B. , Tardiff, T. A., & Drew, J. B. (1994). Negative social interactions: Assessment and relations to social support, cognition, and psychological distress. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 13, 42-62.
40.
Mankowski, E. S. , & Wyer, R. S., Jr. (1997). Cognitive causes and consequences of perceived social support. In G. R. Pierce, B. Lakey, B. R. Sarason, & I. G. Sarason (Eds.), Sourcebook of theory and research on social support and personality (pp. 141-168). New York: Plenum.
41.
McNair, D. M. , Lorr, M., & Droppleman, L. F. (1971). Manual for the Profile of Mood States (POMS). San Diego, CA: Educational and Industrial Testing Service.
42.
Moos, R. H. , & Moos, B. S. (1986). Family Environment Scale manual (2nd ed.). Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press, Inc.
43.
Okun, M. A. , & Finch, J. F. (1996, August 4-8). Negative and positive social ties and depression: A meta analysis. Paper presented at the Conference for the International Society for the Study of Personal Relationships, Banff, Alberta, Canada.
44.
Pagel, M. D. , Erdly, W. W., & Becker, J. (1987). Social networks: We get by with (and in spite of) a little help from our friends. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 53, 793-804.
45.
Paulhus, D. (1991). Measurement and control of response bias. In J. P. Robinson, P. R. Shaver, & L. S. Wrightsman (Eds.), Measures of personality and social psychological attitudes (pp. 17-53). San Diego, CA: Academic Press.
46.
Pedhazur, E. J. (1982). Multiple regression in behavioral research (2nd ed.). New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston.
47.
Pierce, G. R. , Sarason, B. R., & Sarason, I. G. (1992). General an specific support expectations and stress as predictors of perceived supportiveness: An experimental study. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 63, 297-307.
48.
Pierce, G. R. , Sarason, B. R., & Sarason, I. G. (1996). Handbook of social support and the family. New York: Plenum.
49.
Pierce, T. , Baldwin, M. W., & Lydon, J. E. (1997). A relational schema approach to social support. In G. R. Pierce, B. Lakey, B. R. Sarason, & I. G. Sarason (Eds.), Sourcebook of theory and research on social support and personality (pp. 19-48). New York: Plenum.
50.
Procidano, M. E. (1992). The nature of perceived social support: Findings of meta-analytic studies. In C. D. Spielberger & J. N. Butcher (Eds.), Advances in personality assessment (Vol. 9). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
51.
Repetti, R. (1987). Individual and common components of the social environment at work and psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 52, 710-720.
52.
Rhodes, G. L. , & Lakey, B. (1999). Social support and mental health: Insights from personality and social psychology. In R. Kowalski & M. Leary (Eds.), The social psychology of emotional and behavioral problems: Interfaces of social and clinical psychology (pp. 281-310). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
53.
Rook, K. S. (1984). The negative side of social interaction: Impact on psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 46, 1097-1108.
54.
Rudolph, K. D. , Hammen, C., & Burge, D. (1995). Cognitive representations of self, family, and peers in school-age children: Links with social competence and sociometric status. Child Development, 66, 1385-1402.
55.
Ruehlman, L. S. , & Wolchik, S. A. (1988). Personal goals and interpersonal support and hindrance as factors in psychological distress and well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 55, 293-301.
56.
Sandler, I. N. , & Barrera, M. (1984). Toward a multimethod approach to assessing the effects of social support. American Journal of Community Psychology, 12, 37-52.
57.
Sarason, B. R. , Pierce, G. R., & Sarason, I. G. (1990). Social support: The sense of acceptance and the role of relationships. In B. R. Sarason, I. G. Sarason, & G. R. Pierce (Eds.), Social support: An interactional view (pp. 97-128). New York: John Wiley.
58.
Sarason, B. R. , Sarason, I. G., & Pierce, G. R. (Eds.). (1990). Traditional views of social support and their impact on assessment. In Social support: An interactional view (pp. 9-25). New York: John Wiley.
59.
Sarason, I. G. , Sarason, B., & Shearin, E. N. (1986). Social support as an individual difference variable: Its stability, origins, and relational aspects. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 50, 845-855.
60.
Sarason, B. R. , Shearin, E. N., Pierce, G. R., & Sarason, I. G. (1987). Interrelations of social support measures: Theoretical and practical implications. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 52, 813-832.
61.
Valone, K. , Norton, J. P., Goldstein, M. J., & Doane, J. A. (1983). Parental expressed emotion and affective style in an adolescent sample at risk for schizophrenia spectrum disorders. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 92, 399-407.
62.
Vaughn, E. E. , & Leff, J. P. (1976). The influence of family and social factors on the course of psychiatric illness. British Journal of Psychiatry, 129, 125-137.
63.
Vaux, A. (1988). Social support: Theory, research, and intervention. New York: Praeger.
64.
Vinokur, A. , Schul, Y., & Caplan, R. D. (1987). Determinants of perceived social support: Interpersonal transactions, personal out-look, and transient affective states. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 53, 1137-1145.
65.
Vinokur, A. D. , & van Ryn, M. (1993). Social support and undermining in close relationships: Their independent effects on the mental health of unemployed persons. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 65, 350-359.
66.
Watson, D. (1988). Intraindividual and interindividual analyses of positive and negative affect: Their relations to health complaints, perceived stress and daily interactions. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 54, 1020-1030.
67.
Watson, D. , Clark, L. A., & Carey, G. (1988). Positive and negative affectivity and their relation to anxiety and depressive disorders. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 97, 346-353.
68.
Watson, D. , Clark, L. A., McIntyre, C. W., & Hamaker, S. (1992). Affect, personality and social activity. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 63, 1011-1025.
69.
Watson, D. , Clark, L. A., & Tellegen, A. (1988). Development and validation of brief measures of positive and negative affect: The PANAS scales. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 54, 1063-1070.
70.
Watson, D. , & Tellegen, A. (1985). Toward a consensual structure of mood. Psychological Bulletin, 98, 219-235.
71.
Weiss, R. S. (1974). The provisions of social relationships. In Z. Rubin (Ed.), Doing unto others (pp. 17-26). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
72.
Zautra, A. J. (1983). Social resources and quality of life. American Journal of Community Psychology, 11, 275-290.
