Formal and Informal Support: A Conceptual Clarification

Abstract

The nature of formal and informal support is functionally differentiated in this article. While they are interrelated and actually interface at many junctures, each type of support functions most effectively in specific areas. Formal support operates within the context of bureaucratic structure, reflecting both its strengths and limitations. Formal organizations, however, could never hope to meet all of the instrumental, social and emotional needs of the individual. It is clearly supplemental to informal support. The mechanisms by which formal agencies supplement informal support deserve much greater attention in applied gerontological research. The interface between the two levels of support is where the most exciting applied research is likely to take place.

Support from Neighbors and Aging in Place: Can NORC Programs Make a Difference?

“…A growing theme within discourse on strengthening systems to promote aging in place addresses the role of informal supports. Informal supports refer to sources of assistance outside of formal service organizations and within one's own private network of social relationships (Lipman & Longino, 1982). Although there has been much attention to family members, who provide the bulk of assistance to adults at risk for unwanted relocation (Szinovacz & Davey, 2008), there also has been both long-standing and renewed interest in other informal sources of support, such as neighbors (Cantor, 1979;Vasunilashorn, Steinman, Liebeg, & Pynoos, 2012).…”

Formal and Informal Social Support Systems for Migrant Domestic Workers

“…Help seeking is defined as a coping strategy aiming at getting support, advice, or assistance in times of stress, which could range from just discussing the problem and situation to requesting specific aid (Gourash, 1978). Scholars usually differentiate help seeking into two dimensions: formal and informal sources of support (Lipman & Longino, 1982; Ullman & Filipas, 2001). Formal source of support refers to services that function under bureaucratic structures and agency; while informal source of support refers to individual social networks, such as family and friends.…”

Understanding the psychology of psychological help-seeking patterns in community and barriers to it: A brief discussion

“…The informal care is generally seeked on the basis of its easy availability, past experience, and often favored because of its quick accessibility and that also at free of cost [1,2]. The formal care is different from informal one as it operates within a bureaucratic structure, without having any prior emotional relationship with the client and provides care for a limited period [3]. Literature has showed older people preferring such informal care from whom they are familiar and involved in their daily lives such as friends and families before they actually look for any formal network [4,5].…”