Whispering and Yelling
Unfurling the Rhetorical Advocacy Continuum through Mental Health Social Change Communication
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22420628 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Sarah A Aghazadeh (0000-0002-8778-4850, American University, Washington, DC, USA, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Publication date | 2026-07-14 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1077-6990 • E-ISSN: 2161-430X |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/10776990261465319 |
| OpenAlex | W7168295728 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 52 |
Fostering mental health presents an exigency for societies across the globe. Advocates and activists employ societal rhetoric through public relations, yet we lack nuanced understandings of the relationship between different approaches. This study presents U.S. mental health social change communicators’ reflections (38). Through the lens of fully functioning society theory, I illustrate a rhetorical continuum of social change to show how the persuasive forces of advocacy, activism, community organizing, and lobbying coexist across sociocultural and institutional realms. I also explain how the study’s implications can apply beyond U.S. mental health and to a variety of mass communication endeavors.
Health communication · Mental health · Rhetoric · Rhetorical question · Social change · Sociocultural evolution · Discourse Analysis in Language Studies · Public Relations and Crisis Communication · Rhetoric and Communication Studies
Experiences of mental illness stigma, prejudice and discrimination
The biomedical model of mental disorder
Social Movements and Identification
“You’re Dealing With Kids”
Child Immigrant Detention
From Advocacy to Activism
No Escape From the Media Gates? How Public Support and Issue Salience Shape Interest Groups’ Media Prominence
The Role of Public Relations in Deliberative Systems
Defining Public Policy Communication in Public Relations Research
Framing “the Public Interest”
Health Activism
Towards a Biopsychosociopolitical Frame for Recovery in the Context of Mental Illness
Requirements, problems, and strategies
There Needs to be a Place in Society for Madness”
Enhance Your Qualitative Analysis with Writing
| Highly cited | No |
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