Social Support Theory

Abstract

Social support theory emerged from publications by Don Drennon‐Gala and Francis Cullen, both of whom drew on insights from several theoretical traditions. The theory is centered on the proposition that instrumental, informational, and emotional supports reduce the likelihood of delinquency and crime. The theory incorporates macro‐ and micro‐level effects, emphasizing how supportive societies and supportive relationships, respectively, can lessen delinquency and crime rates and individual delinquency and crime. Social support is also implicated in the processes of social control and criminal justice, in that effective social control and rehabilitation are based on social support. Research suggests that communities able to provide higher levels of social support have lower rates of juvenile crime, that social support is an important element of adolescent well‐being, and that social support can be a key factor in rehabilitating juvenile offenders.