Different Strokes from Different Folks: Community Ties and Social Support
1990/11/01 by Barry Wellman, Scot Wortley · 2,033 citations
Health Professions · Psychology · Social Sciences · #Computer science #Computer security #Friendship #Health disparities and outcomes #Homelessness and Social Issues #Intergenerational Family Dynamics and Caregiving #Interpersonal relationship #Interpersonal ties #Kinship #Principal (computer security) #Psychology #Social network (sociolinguistics) #Social psychology #Social relationship #Social support #Sociology #Strong ties #World Wide Web
paper · doi:10.1086/229572
published in American Journal of Sociology 96(3), 558-588 (University of Chicago Press)
openalex publication_date 1990/11/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Abstract
Community ties with friends and relatives are a principal means by which people and households get supportive resources. Quantitative and qualitative data from the second East York study are used to evaluate six potential explanations of why different types of ties provide different kinds of supportive resources: tie strength, contact, group processes, kinship,network members' characteristics, and similarities and dissimilarities between network members in such characteristics. Most relatioships provide specialized support. The kinds of support provided are related more to characteristics of the relationship than to characteristics of the network members themselves. Strong ties provide emotional aid, small services, and companionship. Parents and adult children exchange financial aid, emotional aid, large services, and small services. Physically accessible ties provide services. Women provide emotional aid. Friends, neighbors, and siblings make up about half of all supportive relationships. The ensemble of network members supplies stable and adaptive support.
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