No man is an island, entire of itself. We are by nature social beings who seek interaction and connection with other people no matter how independent, autonomous and self-sufficient we have become. Social support as an important feature of interpersonal relationships has attracted a number of authors and encourage them to do research which has resulted in a number of different definitions of this concept, especially in the last twenty years. The main reason was the perception that social support positively affects the health and adjustment of the individual, and that the people who are married, have friends and family members who provide them with material and psychological support have better health than people with less contacts and support (Broadhed et al., 1983; Leavy, 1983; Mitchell, Billings & Moos, 1982; according to Cohen and Wills, 1985). 

Social support is defined as help in difficult life situations. Social support is a concept that is generally understood in an intuitive sense, as the help from other people in a difficult life situation. One of the first definitions was put forward by Cobb (Cobb, 1976). He defined social support as ‘the individual belief that one is cared for and loved, esteemed and valued, and belongs to a network of communication and mutual obligations’. Social support is also defined as ‘the perceived availability of people whom the individual trusts and who make one feel cared for and valued as a person’ (Mental health Information and Determinants for the European Level, MINDFUL, 2008).

In spite of these widely accepted definitions of social support, there is no consensus in the literature about the definition and consequently the operationalisation of the concept. There is a need for further research, especially about what kind of support is most important for health.

A distinction exists between perceived and provided support. In defining social support a distinction can be made between the quality of support perceived (satisfaction) and provided social support. Most studies are based on the measurement of subjectively perceived support, whereas others aim at measuring social support in a more objective sense. One could also distinguish between the support received, and the expectations when in need, and between event specific support and general support. The definition in terms of a subjective feeling of support raises the question whether social support reflects a personality trait, rather than the actual social environment (Pierce et al., 1997; Sarason et al., 1986). Most researchers will agree that the person as well as the situation affects perceived social support, and that the concept deals with the interaction between individual and social variables.

Social support is closely related to the concept of a social network, or the ties to family, friends, neighbours, colleagues, and others of significance to the person. However, when the social network is described in structural terms, like size, range, density, proximity and homogeneity, social support normally refers to the qualitative aspects of the social network Within this context, social support is the potential of the network to provide help in situations when needed. However, the social network may also be the cause of psychological problems. Halle and Wellman present the interplay between social support, the social network, and psychological health in a model: The social network as a mediating construct. This model shows that social support can be seen as resulting from certain characteristics of the social network, which are in turn caused by environmental and personal factors. The model suggests that it is important to distinguish between the structural and quantitative aspects of the social network on the one side, and social support on the other (O'Reilly, 1988). However, it may be difficult to distinguish between the quality of social network and social support.

Social integration refers to supportive relationships within the community. Whereas the concept of social support mainly refers to the individual and group level, the concept of social integration can refer to the community level (Berkman & Glass, 2000). A well integrated community refers to well developed supportive relationships between people in the community, with everybody feeling accepted and included. A related concept is social capital, which is often used as the sum of supportive relationships in the community. Social capital may, however, also be used in a somewhat different meaning, such as solidarity (Kawachi & Berkman, 2000). 

There are several basic types of social support in references: self-esteem support, informational social support, ”socializing” and instrumental support. Self-esteem support means that the individual is respected and accepted. Self-esteem develops and increases through communication with people who accept the individual’s values and respect him regardless of his personal difficulties or failures. This kind of support is associated with what we call emotional support, expressive support, ventilation or close support (Cohen & Wills, 1985). Informational support implies defining, understanding and dealing with problems. It is also called advice, support in the assessment or cognitive guidance. ”Socializing” means spending free time with other people. This kind of support can reduce stress because it satisfies the need for affiliation or contact with others, it helps the individual to divert his attention from troubles and problems and encourages a positive mood. This kind of support is also known as belonging. Instrumental support is the implies financial assistance, material resources and necessary services. Instrumental support can reduce stress by direct resolving of instrumental problems or providing time for some fun activities or relaxation. This kind of support is also called material support, concrete help or tangible support.

Although the functions of social support can be conceptually separated, they are usually not independent in everyday life, for example, people who spend more time socializing with others also have more access to instrumental help and emotional support. Empirical studies sometimes show high correlations between various functions of social support (Cohen & Wills, 1985). The effects of social support depend on the frequency, duration, intensity and nature of stressful events. According to the hypothesis of agreement (Cohen & McKay, 1984, by Cohen & Wills, 1985) social support is more effective in reducing the harmful effects of stressful situations on the mental health of the person depending  on the corresponding form of support requirements in a given situation. Instrumental support and ”socializing” are effective ways of support when they are related to the specific needs that give rise to a stressful event. For example, stress caused by the loss of friends can be best mitigated by ”socializing”, and if it is caused by economic difficulties, the best way to mitigate is the instrumental support. Stressful events often result in the feeling of helplessness and are a threat to self-esteem. In such circumstances, emotional support can be a balance against a self-esteem threat. Informational support  helps in the interpretation of a stressor as less dangerous or helps in finding appropriate ways of coping with situations which seem to lack control. These two types of support can occur as response to most stressful situations. Kutrona and Russell (Cutrona and Russell 1990, according to Cohen & Wills, 1985) suggested that stressors which are not under our control require more emotional support, while stressors which we can control require more activity-oriented problem solving, such as seeking information and advice. Sarason and colleagues point out that the measures of perceived social support, which affect the extent to which the individual is accepted, loved and included in the relations of open communication, are better indicators of adaptation then measures of received support (Sarason et al., 1987). They point out that the effects of social support on adaptation outcomes are to a greater extent a function of quality rather than quantity of social support, that is a number of supportive social contacts. The fact that we have at least one close person who supports us is very important.

Sources of social support may vary. However, inside the family most people generally receive emotional support, warmth, the feeling of belonging, material and instrumental support and similar. If the marriage is successful, the husband (wife) is one of the major lasting and accessible sources of social support of adults. Unlike other sources of support and assistance, the family is usually the one which identifies and offers help to its own family member in crisis, without him asking for it. In addition to family, an important source of support are friends, relatives, colleagues and so on.