The role of support seekers and seeking in supportive communication: a review and research agenda

Although the topic of social support has received significant attention from communication scholars, the role of support seekers and seeking warrants greater consideration. We synthesize research examining cultural differences in support seeking, support seeking message properties, dilemmas of support seeking, and connections between support seeking and provision. An agenda for future scholarship rooted in dynamic systems theory is then proposed. Support seeking is conceptualized as a phenomenon that is co-constructed during conversation with support providers. Opportunities for connecting existing domains of support seeking research as part of conversations and relationships are discussed.