Search

We addressed understudied questions in social support. Do providers, who recipients agree are more supportive than others (i.e., consensually supportive), evoke more favorable affect in recipients? Do groups differ in their supportiveness and do supportive groups evoke favorable affect in their members? Can any group differences be explained by dyadic relationships within groups? We analyzed data from seven samples of well-acquainted groups and groups of strangers in which participants rated each other on supportiveness, and affect experienced when with each group member. Social Relations Model analyses indicated that consensually supportive providers evoked higher positive affect in recipients but not lower negative affect. Uniquely supportive relationships evoked higher positive and lower negative affect. Groups differed in their supportiveness and more supportive groups evoked higher positive and lower negative affect. Correlations between support and affect at the level of groups primarily reflected dyadic relationships within groups, rather than the groups themselves. Groups of strangers showed the same effects as well-acquainted groups. The findings for consensually supportive providers and low negative affect is inconsistent with most social support theory. Supportive groups' links to affect could be explained by dyadic relationships within groups, rather than the groups themselves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is renewed interest in how people express different levels of personality across situations or times (within‐person variation). However, within‐person studies typically do not focus on the specific relationship partners that are linked to the expression of personality. To remedy this, we applied relational regulation theory (RRT) to the study of within‐person variation. RRT states that specific relationship partners are important social contexts for understanding within‐person variation and describes how people regulate their affect, action and thought through interacting with or thinking about specific partners. In three studies of students (Ns = 136, 349, 110), participants rated their levels of six‐ or five‐factor personality dimensions when with or thinking about different relationship partners. Personality expression was strongly consistent across partners. Yet, in each study, there were also strong effects whereby more extraversion, agreeableness and openness were expressed when with some partners but not others. In each study, when a recipient saw a relationship as supportive, the recipient expressed more extraversion, agreeableness, and openness. Effects for emotionality and conscientiousness were less consistent. Theoretical implications for RRT and within‐person variation in personality were discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]