social support in relation to depression,anger,anxiety,psychoticism neuroticism and locus of control

Social support is embedded in ongoing social interactions that are part of an ever changing network of social relationships. While a sharp

and generally accepted definition of social support as distinct from other types of social interaction is hard to make, it is possible to present a taxonomy of perspectives on social support that provides a useful tool in ordering its effects, and in identifying the social psychological processes involved. In a review of the occupational stress literature, Buunk made a distinction between four different conceptualizations of social support. First, from a sociological perspective, social support has primarily been viewed in terms of the number and strength of the connections of the individual to others in his or her social environment - in other words, the degree of one's social integration or the size and structure of one's social network.