Social Support in Marriage: The Role of Social Cognition

Abstract

Close relationships and self-report play a central role in the social support literature, yet little is known about how behaviors in intimate relationships lead people to feel supported. Drawing from research on cognition in marriage we argue that explanations or attributions for spouse behavior, particularly in terms of whether the behavior is viewed as voluntary and selflessly motivated, is an important determinant of whether the behavior is perceived as supportive. The impact that various cognitive processes may have on attributions, global judgments of support, and reports of behavior used to measure support, is also illustrated. Finally, the need to investigate perceived support in relation to the transactions that occur between spouses is emphasized, and the implications of a cognitive perspective on social support are outlined.