Social Support, Care, and Social Capital

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  • Akihide INABA
    Department of Social Welfare, Tokyo Metropolitan University

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  • ソーシャル・サポート,ケア,社会関係資本
  • ソーシャル サポート ケア シャカイ カンケイ シホン

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Abstract

The aims of this paper are to introduce the present state of the social support studies, to reformulate its theories, and to propose suggestions for social capital studies.<BR>Social support was conceptualized as the interperson a l factors buffering the effects of negative life events on individuals, and its entire structure was examined by empirical studies.<BR>There are three 'needs' related to social support: 1) needs suppose d by the support recipients,2)`recipient' s needs' supposed by the support providers, and 3) needs 'contributing to the recipient's well-being' (these needs are found by the researchers). We can re-examine previous socia l support studies from the perspectives on these three needs.<BR>These social support studies could virtu a lly be equal to the empirical studies of care. 'Availability of social support', which has been verified as a critical factor in social support studies, means capability of fulfilling the needs by care, and we can see it as an example of the significance of 'capability' by care.<BR>As social support studies were a part of the studies of interpersonal resources in the health studies or mental health studies, its influence to other study realms was not so strong. However, there has been an accumulation of more expanding areas of findings and theories. The social capital concept of setting unit of analysis on individuals has much common components with social support studies.<BR>We can look forward to further theoretical possibilities of the social capital s tudies by setting unit of analysis on collectivity. Models setting unit of analysis on individuals can be utilized as theories to explain the relevance to macro level factors.

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