The effects of relationship history on social support perceived from friendships

Abstract

Perceptions of social support availability may be influenced by internal working models, both of how support figures behave in general, and of how specific support figures behave individually. Participants were 217 first-year college students in the first semester of their involvement with an athletic team or Greek organization. They reported on the support they perceived to be available from three friends in those organizations at four time-points, over the course of 18 months. Regarding generalized working models, participants who had more supportive high school friends perceived more support available from their new college friends, even after controlling for their actual experiences with the college friends. Regarding friend-specific working models, friends who were perceived as more supportive at the beginning of the study were perceived as increasingly supportive over time, even after controlling for actual experiences with that friend. These findings illustrate the influence of relationship history on perceptions of social support. Feeling supported is not determined only by the responses of an individual’s support figures in times of need. Regular investment in relationships is important both for individuals who wish to feel supported and for support figures who wish to best help others.