Perceived Responsiveness Across Cultures: the Role of Cultural Fit in Social Support Use

Perceived responsiveness plays a key role in social support interactions. Past research shows that people are more likely to seek support when they perceive that close others will be responsive to their needs, and that social support is most effective when it is perceived as responsive. However, theoretical models and measures of perceived responsiveness, and conceptualizations of responsive support, have been based primarily on the norms and values of individualistic cultures and may not generalize to collectivistic cultures. This review addresses cultural variations in what is perceived as responsive support and the importance of considering cultural fit in the social support process, including how cultural goals lead to different support-seeking behaviors and well-being outcomes for individualists and collectivists. How perceived responsiveness changes depending on other cultural dimensions and how it can be applied to other relationship processes and be more inclusive of collectivistic values are also discussed.