Interpersonal relationships can be nonsupportive as well as supportive. A study was conducted to investigate the negative aspects of social relations which parallel two positive components of social relations, esteem support and affirmative support. If social support represents the positive aspects of interpersonal relationships, social conflict represents the negative. Social support and social conflict were measured in relation to stress in 675 outpatient pharmacy users, about one-half of whom had filled a prescription for Valium within the previous six months. (The effects of Valium use on stress and well-being were of interest to the researchers whose longitudinal data were used in this study.) Although not intended to be representative of American adults, the subjects' distributions of sex, age, and education were similar to those for American adults. Participants were interviewed on four different occasions in their homes with questions about stress, life quality, social support, social conflict, positive and negative affect, self-esteem, physical health, performance at work and home, and medication use. The results indicated that social support and social conflict were not correlated. Positive and negative aspects of social relations did appear to be independent of each other. Social support was found to relate strongly to positive outcomes while social conflict related strongly to negative outcomes. (ABL)