The present study investigates similarities and differences in perception of emotional support in friendship. Ecuadorians (N = 87) and Poles (N = 60) completed a questionnaire constructed in two cultural versions. The questionnaire consisted of five conversation vignettes between two women. Participants evaluated women's behaviours varied by: level of intimacy; reason for self-disclosure and type of emotional support. Burleson's (1994) typology of emotional support was a theoretical framework for the study. The findings indicated that comforting messages low in person centeredness were evaluated lower by Poles in comparison to Ecuadorians. Additionally, low person centeredness of a supporting actor had a significant effect on the evaluations of the person who was seeking for a support. There were no differences between Poles and Ecuadorians in their perception of high person centered emotional support. The results indicated that intimate conversations between close friends were evaluated higher in a Polish sample in comparison to the daily conversations. The opposite result was observed in an Ecuadorian group.
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