ICOMM: Interpersonal Communication Theories

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Interpersonal Communication Research

Selecting a Topic

The main criteria for selecting a topic for an interpersonal communication research assignment are the following:

a. A topic in which you have interest.

b. A topic relevant to your life and needs for improving your communication skills.

c. A topic that is clearly an area of interpersonal communication study.

d. A topic you can find in Communication and Mass Media Complete (Ebsco Host).

Magnifying glass Step One: Select a general area of interest in interpersonal communication.

What is a general area of your interest?

a. The Self and Interpersonal Communication

b. Listening As an Interpersonal Skill

c. Verbal Language

d. Nonverbal Communication

e. Beginning, Maintaining and Ending Relationships

f. Conflict Resolution

g. Interpersonal Communication in The Family

h. Electronically Mediated Interpersonal Communication

i. Interpersonal Communication in the Workplace

If you would like to research an interpersonal communication theory, here are some ideas:

Resources: Lane @ Kentucky - Walker @ Oregon State

Altman & Taylor's Social Penetration Theory

Attribution Theory

Berger & Calabrese's Uncertainty Reduction Theory

Berscheid & Walster Passionate Love The impact of fairness on passionate vs. companionate love. - Passionate and companionate love in newlywed couples.

Buber's I And Thou

Buss' Gender Roles In Mate Selection

Cooley's Reflected Appraisal And Looking Glass Self

Dialectical Tension

Empathy

Equity Theory

Gibb's Supportive & Defensive Climates

Goffman's Attenuation, Face Work, Impression Management

Hall Dimensions Of Culture

Hart's Rhetorical Sensitivity

Infante's Verbal Aggression

Knapp's Relational Stages

Laing's Confirming And Disconfirming

Laing's Spirals Of Communication

Lee's Love Types

Maslow's Hierarchy Of Needs

Metacommunication

Relational Dialectics

Rule Theory

Sapir & Whorf Linguistic Determination

Self-Concept

Self-Disclosure

Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

Self-Monitoring

Self-Serving Bias

Shutz's Interpersonal Needs Inclusion, Control, & Affection

Social Comparison

Social Exchange Theory

Spitzberg's Communication Competence

The Johari Window

Transactional Communication

Vocate's Self-Talk

Watzlawick, Beavin, & Jackson's Axioms Of Communication

Wilmot's Dyadic Communication

Magnifying glass Step 2: Select something relevant to your life and needed skill improvement.

What interpersonal communication skills do you need to improve? Are people often confused by your nonverbal facial expressions? Do you want to improve your interpersonal communication with your brother (spouse, child, friend, boss)? Do you want to get up to speed on using texting to enhance interpersonal communication? Do you want to convey a more positive attitude in your communication with others? Reflect on what you need to do to improve you interpersonal communication.

Magnifying glass Step 3: Focus on interpersonal communication.

If you decide you want to spend more time with the love of your life that is NOT interpersonal communication. But if you decide you want to better understand the influence of dialectical tensions in your interpersonal communication with the love of your life that IS about interpersonal communication.

If you want to improve your relationship with your brother, how will you do that through better interpersonal communication?

If you want to improve your use of texting, how will you use texting to create a sense of immediacy and caring when communicating with people you love?

If you want to restore some old relationships through Facebook, how will you create a feeling of face-to-face communication through Facebook?

Magnifying glass Step 4: Search Communication and Mass Media Complete (Ebsco Host).

If you don’t know how to use this scholarly database, you can find helpful information online, such as one of the links below. Simply search your Web browser for Communication and Mass Media Complete tutorial

http://www.blip.tv/file/1675203

http://onlineacademics.org/LibraryTutorial/

http://www.informs.intute.ac.uk

http://www.ulib.iupui.edu/tutorial/comm_mass

You might start with a general topic, such as interpersonal communication. Eventually, you will need to NARROW your topic so it is manageable.

With the topic interpersonal communication, Communication and Mass Media Complete comes up with more than 3000 full-text, peer-reviewed journal articles. You might want to skim some of the article titles, however, to generate ideas.

Perhaps you notice the article A Cross-cultural Study of Silence in Marital Conflict, and like the idea of studying marital conflict. You could then search these key words:

Interpersonal communication

AND

marital or marriage

AND

conflict or argument or discord

This search yields 19 peer-reviewed, full-text articles, which is manageable. You can read them online—be careful about timing out while you read—or send those articles to your email address. Perhaps as you read the abstracts, you decide to use the following 10 articles as current and relevant. Select “APA style” and the database will give you a format that is close to what you will need in your alphabetical reference list.

Chuan-chuan, C., & Tardy, C. (2010). A Cross-cultural Study of Silence in Marital Conflict. (English). China Media Report Overseas, 6(2), 95-105. Retrieved from Communication & Mass Media Complete database.

Segrin, C., Hanzal, A., & Domschke, T. (2009). Accuracy and Bias in Newlywed Couples' Perceptions of Conflict Styles and the Association with Marital Satisfaction. Communication Monographs, 76(2), 207-233. doi:10.1080/03637750902828404.

Dainton, M. (2007). Attachment and Marital Maintenance. Communication Quarterly, 55(3), 283-298. doi:10.1080/01463370701490083.

Koesten, J., Schrodt, P., & Ford, D. (2009). Cognitive Flexibility as a Mediator of Family Communication Environments and Young Adults' Well-Being. Health Communication, 24(1), 82-94. doi:10.1080/10410230802607024.

Heatherington, L., Escudero, V., & Friedlander, M. (2005). Couple Interaction During Problem Discussions: Toward an Integrative Methodology. Journal of Family Communication, 5(3), 191-207. doi:10.1207/s15327698jfc0503_2.

Schrodt, P. (2009). Family Strength and Satisfaction as Functions of Family Communication Environments. Communication Quarterly, 57(2), 171-186. doi:10.1080/01463370902881650.

Wright, C., & Roloff, M. (2009). Relational Commitment and the Silent Treatment. Communication Research Reports, 26(1), 12-21. doi:10.1080/08824090802636967.

Solomon, D., Knobloch, L., & Fitzpatrick, M. (2004). RELATIONAL POWER, MARITAL SCHEMA, AND DECISIONS TO WITHHOLD COMPLAINTS: AN INVESTIGATION OF THE CHILLING EFFECT ON CONFRONTATION IN MARRIAGE. Communication Studies, 55(1), 146-167. Retrieved from Communication & Mass Media Complete database.

Bippus, A., Boren, J., & Worsham, S. (2008). Social Exchange Orientation and Conflict Communication in Romantic Relationships. Communication Research Reports, 25(3), 227-234. doi:10.1080/08824090802237584.

Dainton, M., & Gross, J. (2008). The Use of Negative Behaviors to Maintain Relationships. Communication Research Reports, 25(3), 179-191. doi:10.1080/08824090802237600.

You have the articles you will read to develop your research assignment. As you take notes, write the ideas in your own words, while citing and referencing them exactly (including page numbers).

You’re on your way to conducting scholarly research!

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