SPRING 2001 THEORY WORKBOOK

Table of Contents

General Contexts

Intrapersonal Communication (Persuasion)

Interpersonal Communication

Small Group Communication

Organizational Communication

Intercultural Communication

Mass Communication
 

Applied Contexts

Health Communication

Instructional Communication
 
 

Honors Capstone Home Page

Last updated Febraury 14, 2001
HONORS:  COMMUNICATION CAPSTONE
SPRING 2001 THEORY WORKBOOK

INTERPERSONAL CONTEXT
Click Here to See List of Theories

Interpersonal Communication Defined

An interactional process between two people (a dyad), 
either face-to-face or through mediated forms.

Unit of Analysis

The unit of analysis for interpersonal communication is the dyad or the relationship itself.

Interpersonal Perspectives

There are four specific perspectives from which to study interpersonal communication:

Relational (Qualitative)
Communication in which the roles of sender and receiver are shared 
by two people simultaneously in order to create meaning.

Situational (Contextual)
Communication that occurs between two people in a specific context.

Quantitative
Dyadic interactions, including impersonal communication.

Functional (Strategic)
Communication for the purpose of achieving interpersonal goals.

List of Representative Theories

Communication Pragmatics / Interactional View (Watzlawick)

Competence (Spitzberg & Cupach)

Constructivism (Delia)

Coordinated Management of Meaning (Pearce & Cronan)

Expectancy Violation (Burgoon)

Fundamental Interpersonal Relations Orientation (Schutz)

Interpersonal Deception (Buller & Burgoon)

Marital Communication (Fitzpatrick)

Relational Dialectics (Baxter & Montgomery)

Social Exchange (Thibaut & Kelley)

Social Penetration (Altman & Taylor)

Stages of Relationship Development (Knapp)

Uncertainty Reduction (Berger & Calabrese)