Social Power and Communicating Social Support: How Stigma and Marginalization Affect Our Ability to Help

This book gives readers an understanding of the theoretical foundations of social support communication along with practical tools to ethically and justly connect with and support others in daily life.

Incorporating research, real-world examples, and autoethnographic methods, this book examines how social hierarchies, personal power dynamics, and relational and social histories can be better understood to create stronger social support messages across all our relationships, including family, friend, workplace, and health provider-patient relationships. The book translates theories of social support communication into practical application, examining how support messaging goes wrong and how to do it right.

Intended as a supplementary text in interpersonal communication, psychology, and social work undergraduate courses, the book is also ideal for professionals who engage in caretaking and support tasks and wish to enhance their knowledge of social support theory.

Dena M. Huisman is Associate Professor of Communication Studies at the University of Wisconsin―La Crosse, USA. Her specialties include family communication, gender communication, and public speaking. She uses her teaching and research to advocate for social justice and equity.