Systems of People / Care / Categories of Care
Categories of Care
The eight ways care shows up, with examples of each.
Eight ways people can show up for each other. Each one is a real, specific kind of care, not a synonym for the others.
These build on the plain definition covered in What is Care?
The eight categories
Each card shows a few examples. The full set of specific acts lives on Kinds of Care.
1 of 8
Expressive & Emotional Care
Showing someone that their feelings and their state are seen, valued, and not simply managed around. This is the care that helps someone feel understood before anyone starts fixing things.
Examples
- Empathy
- Validation
- Comfort
- Warmth
2 of 8
Respectful & Relational Care
Treating someone's dignity, attention, and voice as real and valuable. This is care that shows up in how closely you listen, how much weight you give someone's preference, and how you do something, not just what you do for them.
Examples
- Respect
- Listening
- Presence
- Deference
3 of 8
Behavioral & Altruistic Care
Acting on someone's behalf, sometimes at real cost to yourself. This is care that costs the giver something: time, comfort, standing, or safety.
Examples
- Sacrifice
- Protection
- Advocacy
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Practical & Instrumental Care
Doing the actual, tangible work someone needs done. This is care measured in outcomes: the thing got fixed, a meal got made, someone learned a new skill.
Examples
- Material support
- Problem-solving
- Skill-sharing
- Repair
5 of 8
Communicative & Informational Care
Passing along the truth, an update, or a warning someone needs, especially before they ask for it. This is care that shapes what you choose to say and when.
Examples
- Honest feedback
- Sharing information
- Warning
- Transparency
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Physical & Bodily Care
Tending to someone's body directly: comfort, touch, rest, presence during something hard. This is care that happens in the same room. It is physical and close, not at a distance.
Examples
- Touch
- Tending
- Rest-making
- Accompaniment
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Anticipatory & Preventive Care
Seeing a need coming and acting before it arrives. This is care that is proactive, not after the fact.
Examples
- Foresight
- Preparation
- Risk-reduction
- Buffering
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Systemic & Collective Care (“Caring With”)
Building the conditions that let a whole group, not just one relationship, stay resilient under pressure. This is care aimed at the strength of the system rather than the strength of any one person.
Examples
- Solidarity
- Trust-building
- Norm-setting
- Institution-building
Explore the specific acts inside each category on Kinds of Care, or see the three modes any of them can take on The 3Cs of Care.
More on care
Each page in the Care hub takes a different angle.
- What is Care?
- The 3Cs of Care
- Categories of Care
- Kinds of Care
- Research on Care
Other knowledge hubs: Trust Community and Belonging coming soon All of Systems of People
Bring this to your team
This is one piece of a larger framework I teach live. If your team wants to build these habits together, not just read about them, the Caring, Careful, Not Careless workshop is built for exactly that.
“His message is easy to understand and apply immediately. I don’t think it would be too dramatic to say the 3Cs have really transformed the way I look at life.”Sarah Nicole Martin, Founder & CEO, Optimal Affect
Waypoint Retreat attendee
