Social support from a cancer survivor…

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One concept which I found to be interesting in the lesson on applying social psychology to health was the concept of social support.  I found this probably one of the most interesting when reading as just under three years ago I found myself in a situation where I needed a significant amount of support and I found my experience resonating through my head as I was reading the information in the text.

On October 12, 2012, at the age of 30 years old, I was diagnosed with Stage III Breast Cancer.  I found the next several months to be filled with arrays of tests and treatment, loss of my hair and other side effects due to chemotherapy, and surgeries to treat this ugly disease.  Another thing I found myself to be surrounded with was an array of support and networks which to find information about how to deal with the situation at hand.  I found myself learning more about how to deal with the situation and finding new ways to use this support to my advantage.  To use the different groups in order to get through each day and conquer my unfortunate circumstances.  It truly was because of this support that I was able to get through this time and do so with minimal effects on my life.

As I was reading the text, I related much of the supports listed surrounded me each and everyday.  According to Schneider, Gruman, and Coutts (2012) social support is defined as the “resources we get from other people” and my experience was nothing short of a system which helped me get through this situation.  First, I had emotional support from my close friends and family.  They provided me with love, empathy and security which is what emotional support provides (Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts, 2012).  Secondly, I got esteem support from several different people, but I found this the most through my friend Jamie.  She saw me at my worst, and saw through me each choice that I made regarding my treatment, whether it was the right one or not.  There were times which I may have made decisions which were not in the best interest of my health, but regardless of my faults, she accepted me, and my choices.

My esteem support...

My esteem support…

Instrumental (or tangible) support is defined as practical help (Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts, 2012) and this was the case with many people through this time.  Whether it was coming to treatment to sit with me for hours, or helping me to decorate my house for Christmas, others were there.  They helped to get things done that were a normal part of my life and kept me inspired to keep moving forward.  Informational support was provided to me through the place I was getting treatment and my social worker was the point person when it came to this.  Informational support includes getting information about a situation and is really useful when the circumstances are new to us (Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts, 2012) and in this case, this was an important aspect to my battle.

One aspect that was of the utmost important types of support which I got through this was my network support.  Network support is a sense of membership to others who share our experiences (Schneider, Gruman, & Coutts, 2012).  A few months after I started treatment, I had stopped at a gas station with my fiancé and the woman behind the counter recognized my port (where I get chemotherapy treatments) and began telling me her story.  She and I conversed for a while and bid our goodbyes.  My fiancé made an interesting statement which I will never forget.  He said, “whether you wanted to or not, you are in a very important and special club, that nobody will completely understand until they are in it, and everyone of you have an experience that you share which is like no other”.  This was the absolute truth and it is the best way to describe the network support which I found in this club.  We all have an experience and an understanding of each other, and this provides so much support for dealing with our situation.

I thought of ways in which people, as a whole, going though this experience do or don’t have support.  Having this support is key, and having all of those different types of support as identified by Schneider, Gruman & Coutts (2012)  is of the utmost importance.  Looking at social programs and developments when it comes to support, those working with groups of people who are ill, must ensure that these supports are in place.  They must ensure that support is coming from all different directions and using these definitions to create supports are a good way to ensure this.  Development of programs which address these areas is important for those working with people’s of this special “club” as providing support is the best way to ensure people are able to get through this awful circumstance handed to them.

Schneider, F., Gruman, J. & Coutts, L. (2012). Applied social psychology: understanding and addressing social and practical problems. Los Angeles: Sage.

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