Bonding and supportive relationships among black professional women: Rituals of restoration
研究71名黑人职业女性与重要黑人女性朋友之间的支持性关系，发现两种主要类型（他人导向和相互增强）及三种支持功能，其中情感支持、高度承诺和鼓励应对生活障碍最能促进她们的成长和发展。
Abstract In two‐day assessment workshops 71 black professional women explored the kinds of supportive relationships they have formed with significant black women friends and the consequences of these supportive relationships for their growth and development. Findings show two major types of supportive relationships: (1) other‐oriented relationships, in which participants' bonds with other black women emphasize the provision of support to the other, and (2) self‐enhancing relationships, in which participants' bonds with other black women are reciprocal in nature or are oriented toward self. Within these two types of relationships, three main functions of support were found: (1) social companionship, (2) task help, and (3) supportiveness. Of these three functions, the receipt of supportiveness consisting of emotional support, high commitment to one another, and encouragement to tackle life's obstacles resulted in the highest levels of growth and development among the participants, thus most effectively validating and addressing their experience of bicultural stress.