Emotional Appraisal/Reappraisal in Social Support

Abstract Emotional appraisal refers to processes by which individuals’ cognitions about events predict their emotional reactions to those events. Reappraisal refers to changing the way that one thinks about events and their relationship to the self, which may then alter emotional reactions. Based on appraisal theories, social support scholars forward a theoretical explanation for why some supportive messages are more effective than others: they help recipients work through the reappraisal process, which in turn improves recipients’ emotional state. Stemming from the appraisal theory forwarded by Lazarus, theories of supportive communication processes have been proposed and tested, including the theory of conversationally induced reappraisals and the cognitive‐emotional theory of esteem support messages.