Social Support Theory

417 Words2 Pages
Guiding theory Social Support theory is the perception that one is cared for, has assistance available from other people, and that one is part of a supportive social network. These social supportive resources can be emotional, tangible, information or companionship. It is based on the belief that people are most likely to change behavior with the support from others. (Care Coordination Definition Discussion 2012) Social support theory is related with how networking helps people cope with stressful events in this case, teenage pregnancy and getting back to education. According to the university of twente (2013) Social support theory distinguishes between four types of support these are emotional support, instrumental support, information support and appraisal support. ‘Emotional support is associated with sharing life experiences. It involves the provision of empathy, love, trust and caring. Instrumental support involves the provision of tangible aid and services that directly assist a person in need. Close friends, colleagues and neighbors provide it. Informational support involves the provision of advice, suggestions, and information that a person can use to address problems. Appraisal support involves the provision of information that is useful for self-evaluation purposes: constructive feedback, affirmation and social comparison.’ (para. 2) The social support theory is relevant to our social issue of teenage mothers getting back to education to finish their high school certificate or equivalent because of the goals we are trying to achieve and our campaign to achieve the goals. We are aiming to support and encourage teenage mothers to complete their high school education or equivalent leading into further education or employment. Our campaign is to provide support facilities
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