The Negative Effects of Social Support, Openness, and Empathy

We all generally assume that interpersonal communication processes, such as social support, openness, and empathy, have positive impacts on friends, families, individuals and their relationships. However what most people don't know is that these processes may also carry the risk of negative effects.

Upon first glance, it would be easy to assume that nobody would ever have anything bad to say about the effects of social support, empathy, or openness. In our culture and society it almost seems that the fundamental ideals of social support, empathy, and openness are spoon-fed to us on a daily basis and have become even more prevalent in this age of extreme political correctness. What most people don't realize about these interpersonal processes is that not only do they offer positive effects for individuals and their relationships, but they also carry an inherent risk of possible negative repercussions for both the individual, and their relationships.

One of the most glaring negative consequences of openness, social support, and empathy is vulnerability... not because it is the worst possible repercussion, but because so many other negative repercussions piggy-back off this one awful feeling. When a person subjects themselves to a social support network, gives or receives empathy, or is too open, it consequentially leaves them first feeling vulnerable. Vulnerability, to most, has got to be one of the worst feelings in the world. Communication scholars commonly say that for the most part, people overestimate how much personal information they disclose; often thinking and feeling they have said way too much. Even if what is said by communication scholars is true; referring to the empirical research that has been done about people over-estimating personal amounts of the breadth, and depth of self disclosure, fact still remains the same; it leaves the individual feeling guilty, shameful, and naked in public as if they are an open book susceptible to nasty criticism. For the individuals, cohorts, and relationships, the possible negative repercussions of the vulnerability that was bred by this openness, empathy, and social support is the inability or un-want to reciprocate.

There is a norm in communication called the law of reciprocity; this law states that essentially whenever somebody shares something, it leaves both the person sharing the information as well as the person receiving, feeling a sense of obligation to reciprocate. For example: "Sally" tells "Bob" a sad and emotional story about being raped in college. This leaves Bob with the feeling that he should share something personal, and Sally with the inherent, subconscious feeling he should too. This can leave the cohorts feeling uncomfortable and almost gives them a shameful sense of obligation to the individual. This norm of reciprocity can also leave either the individual sharing, or the individual receiving feeling that one or the other has violated their sense of privacy, violated their trust or friendship, and even possibly scare or frighten off either the cohort or the individual because they feel over involved and now uncomfortable in that relationship.

With that said, support groups, empathy, and openness can also lead to overdependence. Assuming that the cohorts don't go "running for the hills," the individual can ultimately become dependant on that relationship to fill some void in their life. This very well could be healthy and is in fact normal for a while; but still poses a risk and possibility of overdependence. On top of that, there may be no proof that overdependence breeds fuzzy self-image, but it wouldn't be surprising if there has been empirical research that states with too much social support, empathy, or openness can cause a person to "lose their identity," in the same way that they could in a "too close" romantic relationship.

Social support, empathy, and openness are all amazing phenoms of human nature (especially in today's society) and when these are all utilized in stride, it's clear how they could be beneficial. However, just like anything else that seems amazing and good to the naked eye, take cheesecake for example, having too much is never a good thing and only breeds major problems and future dilemmas.