By interacting with others who are perceived to be better than them, peers are given a sense of optimism and something to strive toward. 

Upward comparison

Downward comparison to those who seem so much worse off than them puts in perspective how bad things could be for them. 

Downward comparison in peer support

Individuals are attracted to others who share commonalities with themselves, such as psychiatric disorders, in order to establish a sense of normalcy.

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Social support

Experiential knowledge

Helper-therapy principle

Social learning theory

Social comparison theory

Five theories that underlie peer-delivered services

Solomon, P. (2004). Peer support/peer provided services underlying processes, benefits, and critical ingredients. Psychiatric rehabilitation journal, 27(4), 392. https://doi.org/10.2975/27.2004.392.401

Peer support/peer provided services underlying processes, benefits, and critical ingredients.

These theories are inferred rather than tested in the domain of self-help groups.  This is due to the culture of self-help groups that make traditional research methodologies difficult to employ. 

Lack of testing of these theories

Experiential knowledge is specialized information and perspectives that people obtain from living through the experience of having a severe psychiatric disorder.

Experiential knowledge

Peers are seen as more credible role models for others with psychiatric disorders, so interactions with peers who are successfully coping with their illness are more likely to result in positive behavior change on the part of other peers. 

Social learning theory in peer support

Social comparison theory

Peer support services afford individuals the opportunity to benefit themselves from helping others. This phenomenon is called the helper-therapy principle. 

Helper-therapy principle in peer support

Social support is the availability of people on whom we can rely: people who let us know that they care about, value, and love us and are willing to assist us.

Learn Before

Related

Learn After