support group

Support groups exist to combat or legitimise conditions or behaviours. In the case of disease, an identity or a pre-disposition, for example, a support group can provide information, act as a clearing-house for experiences, and serve as a public relations voice for sufferers, other members, and their families. Compare Mensa International and gay pride, for example. In the case of alleged ex-cult members or personal addictions, on the other hand, a support group may veer more towards helping those involved to overcome or move "beyond" their condition/experience. In this category one can place Alcoholics Anonymous and other twelve-step programmes. Overtly or otherwise, such groups provide social networks and extended help for their members. Compare group dynamics. Formal support groups may appear as a modern phenomenon, but they supplement traditional fraternal organizations such as Freemasonry in some respects, and may build on certain supportive functions (formerly) carried out in (extended) families.

Support Group

See also