Assistant Professor
Heritage Hall 307
(205) 934-8912
Research and Teaching Interests: Dark side of relationships, Interpersonal communication, Family communication, Instructional communication, and Advanced statistics
Office Hours: By appointment
Education:
- B.S., Arizona State University, Communication
- M.S., Illinois State University, Communication
- Ph.D., Michigan State University, Communication
Dr. Samantha J. Shebib is a social scientist who studies communication in a variety of contexts with a dark side perspective, shedding light on the paradoxical, dialectical, hidden, and forbidden facets of human relating. She draws attention to the fact that negative and dysfunctional outcomes can occur in relationships even when positive and functional ones are expected. At the same time, there are often positive silver linings in seemingly dark relational contexts.
Shebib's research interests are embedded in interpersonal/family relationships. Currently, she is interested in examining how physiological responses (i.e., cortisol and testosterone) affect how one communicates when conflict transpires. Similarly, she intends to use functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to see how messages affect the brain, which is the biological organ of communication. Her research is also interested in how communication behaviors are transmitted across generations as children learn these behaviors as ways to manage and handle relationship interactions.
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Recent Courses
- The Dark Side of Interpersonal Communication
- The Dark Side of Family Communication
- Nonverbal Communication
- Interpersonal Communication
- Communication in Close Relationships
- Persuasion
- Small Group Communication
- Family Communication
- Research Methods
- Public Speaking
- Interpersonal Influence and Conflict
- Communication as Critical Inquiry
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Select Publications
- Holmstrom, A. J., Reynolds, R. M., Shebib, S. J., Poland, T., Summers, M. E., Mazur, A. P., & Moore, S. (2021). Examining the effect of message style in esteem support interactions: A laboratory investigation. Journal of Communication. Advanced online publication. doi.org/10.1093/joc/jqab001
- Holmstrom, A. J., Shebib, S. J., Mazur, A. P., Mason, A. J., Zhang, L., Allard, A., & Boumis, J. K. (2020). Self-conscious emotions and esteem support: The effectiveness of esteem support in alleviating shame and guilt. Human Communication Research. Advanced online publication. doi.org/10.1093/hcr/hqaa015
- Dorrance Hall, E., Shebib, S. J., & Scharp, K. (2020). The mediating role of helicopter parenting in the relationship between family communication patterns and resilience in emerging adults. Journal of Family Communication, 21(1), 34-45. doi.org/10.1080/15267431.2020.1859510
- Dorrance Hall, E., & Shebib, S. J. (2020). Interdependent siblings: Associations between closest and least close sibling social support and sibling relationship satisfaction. Communication Studies, 71(4), 612–632. doi.org/10.1080/10510974.2020.1749862
- Shebib, S. J., Holmstrom, A. J., Mason, A. J., Mazur, A. P., Zhang, L., & Allard, A. (2020). Sex and gender differences in esteem support: Examining main and interaction effects. Communication Studies, 71, 167–186. doi.org/10.1080/10510974.2019.1692886
- Shebib, S. J., Holmstrom, A. J., Summers, M. E., Clare, D. D., Reynolds, R. M., Poland, T. L., Royer, H. R., Mazur, A. P., & Moore, S. (2020). Two experiments testing order, interaction, and absolute effects of esteem support messages directed toward job seekers. Communication Research, 47(4), 541–571. doi.org/10.1177/0093650219831813
- Shebib, S. J., & Cupach, W. R. (2018). Financial conflict messages and marital satisfaction: The mediating role of financial communication satisfaction. Psychology, 9, 144–163. doi.org/10.4236/psych.2018.91010
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Academic Distinctions and Professional Societies
- National Communication Association
- International Communication Association
- International Association for Relationship Research
- Social Media