Social identity and health: An intergroup communication approach to cancer

Jake Harwood, Lisa Sparks

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

71 Scopus citations

Abstract

This article describes the ways in which group identifications and stereotypes can inform our understanding of cancer prevention and treatment as well as more general social processes surrounding the experience of cancer. From a perspective grounded in social identity theory, we describe the ways in which understanding primary identities (i.e., those associated with large social collectives such as cultural groups), secondary identities (i.e., those associated with health behaviors), and tertiary identities (i.e., those associated with cancer) can help explain certain cancer-related social processes. We forward a series of propositions to stimulate further research on this topic.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)145-159
Number of pages15
JournalHealth Communication
Volume15
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - 2003

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Health(social science)
  • Communication

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