invisible support
any kind of assistance given by one person to another person that the recipient does not notice and is generally unaware of receiving. Invisible support can involve any of the typical forms of social support, such as material assistance, advice, or love and esteem. Although controversial, studies show that under certain circumstances, invisible support may be more effective than visible support, likely because visible support implies personal inadequacy for dealing with the circumstances at hand and may also create indebtedness to the helper. [coined by psychologist Niall Bolger (1958– )]