Support systems research has expanded its therapeutic horizons beyond the family, often using the concepts and methods of social network analysis. Recent network developments provide useful suggestions for support systems research in the analyses of social ties and social networks, and the implications of large-scale social structure for small-scale support systems. Most support systems studies consider a single social network and define all social ties as supportive, disregarding variations in the content, breadth, symmetry and use of such ties. The network analytic approach employs a differentiated analysis of both ties and networks in support systems research. Much of support systems literature analyzes the network in isolation. There is, thus, a need for the incorporation of power and dependency relations into support systems studies; the implications of large-scale division of labor for the flows of network resources must be considered. (Author/NRB)