(1979). Social Networks and Psychology. Connections, 2 - INSNA

on the fact that they and those who dominate them share the same conceptions . The question, however, remains :In what circumstances and for what reasons are these conceptions shared, and when and why does the dominancerelationship appear as an exchange of "services"?GOTTLIEB, Benjamin H . (Guelph) and David M. TODD (Massachusetts-Amherst) . "Social Support in NaturalSettings ." In Research in Social Contexts : Bringing AboutChange . ed. b y R . Munoz, L . Snowden and J . Kelly .San Francisco : Jossey-Bass, forthcoming .HECHTER, Michael (U . of Washington) . "Group Formation and the Cultural Division of Labor ."Journal ofSociology 84 (Sept . 1978) : 293-318 .AmericanA structural theory of the relationship between class and status group formation is presented . Theapproach postulates, first, that differences in the solidarity of any objectively defined groups areindependently determined by the extent of stratification among these groups and interaction within them .These expectations are confirmed by an analysis of variation in the solidarity of 17 American ethnic groupsin 1970 . Second, the relative importance of class as against status group divisions in societies as awhole is held to depend upon the degree of hierarchy and segmentation of their respective cultural divisionsof labor . Supportive evidence is found in the examination of differences in the strength of class votingamong five Australian states in 1964 .HILTZ, Starr Roxanne (UpsaZa College, New Jersey) . "The Human Element in Computerized Conferencing Systems ."Computer Networks 2 (1978) : 421-8 .Three facets of ongoing field trials providing scientific research communities with the use of acomputerized conferencing system are described . 1 . The designed capabilities of the hardware and softwarethat comprise EIES (Electronic Information Exchange System) . 2 . The research design for assessing theimpact of this system upon its users . 3 . Some initial findings about the human roles in the system andhuman reactions to this form of communication, based upon observations of six groups of users during thepilot period .KAHN, Robert L . (U . Michigan) . "Aging and Social Support ." Paper presented at the annual meeting of theAmerican Association for the Advancement of Science . 1978 ."The research which is discussed in this chapter represents two efforts to contribute to ecologicallyvalidtheory and knowledge about social support in natural contexts . First, Gottlieb provides an accountof research on the kinds of resources which are exchanged in primary group helping relationships . Then,Todd discusses research on structural features of social networks, and their interaction with individualcharacteristics, as they affect social support . While these projects have not involved a direct collaborationbetween the authors, they do reflect shared assumptions not only about the importance of informalsocial support, but also about the process of developing theory and knowledge . Our methods have beennaturalistic, involving intensive and direct interactions with the people and settings we wish to understand .Gottlieb has used individual interviews, while Todd and his associates have developed a workshop formatwhich involves network analysis and peer group discussion . These are methods which allow dialogue and theexploration of the personal and social contexts in which social support occurs . The use of such methodsis especially justified by the uncharted nature of the territory, but it also reflects a value for collaborativemodes of inquiry . We each view our research as a partnership with persons who are native to the culturewe are studying . While this partnership opens the research to a wide variety of influences from the setting,it also gives us the opportunity to take part in the self-assessment and problem-solving efforts of theparticipants . Under these conditions, the research process itself can contribute to the development ofnatural support systems . We address these issues in terms of our respective research efforts, and thencomment on further implications of the similarities and differences in our work ." (adapted from the introduction)"My colleagues and I have for some years been engaged in a program of research on the effects of theimmediate social environment on health, especially mental health . Several aspects of this research seemrelevant to the issues of aging : (1) the relations of role characteristics, especially properties ofthe work role, to individual well-being ; (2) the refinement of those relationships in terms of personenvironmentfit, that is, goodness of fit between the needs and abilities of the individual on the onehand and, on the other, the supplies and demands of the environment as expressed in role expectations andprerequisites ; (3) the importance of socialsupport, both as a direct determinant of well-being and abuffer against the effects of stressful events ."In this paper I (1) offer some examples of research findings in each of the areas cited above thatseem relevant for aging ; (2) propose a way of integrating these findings in terms of the concept of theconvoy of social support ; (3) state as hypotheses some relationships between age, convoy of social support ;(3) state as hypotheses some relationships between age, convoy characteristics, and well-being .