A paradox of support seeking and support response among gays and lesbians
Individuals that perceive stigma surrounding their identity and fear rejection of support requests may experience a paradox whereby they seek support indirectly from support networks (friends and family) to avoid rejection and are met with unsupportive responses. This study extended this paradox to sexual minorities using survey data from a sample of 133 individuals self-identified as gay and lesbian. Results of structural equation modeling showed self-stigma and fear of support rejection linked to increased indirect support seeking, which in turn explained unsupportive network responses, providing support for a paradox among gays and lesbians. Findings may have implications for interventions to improve support exchanges in the lives of sexual minorities.
Although relationship marketing has received much attention in recent years, most of the literature focuses on benefits the firm receives from developing relationships with customers. A comprehensive model explicitly considering both the benefits and barriers of such relationships from the customer’s perspective has not been proposed. To address this gap in the literature, this chapter develops an integrative theory of customers’ motivations to participate in relationships with companies. In particular, the authors review the existing literature on customers’ relational motivations for participating in business exchanges and subsequently present an integrative model of both benefits and barriers to such relationships from a customer perspective. They then report the results of a study examining a portion of the relational benefit side of the model. Finally, implications for the management of relationships with customers are discussed.