A First Look at Communication Theory: 2026 Release ISE
Division One: Overview
1: Launching Your Study
2: Talk About Theory
3: Weighing the Words
4: Mapping the Territory
Division Two: Interpersonal Communication Interpersonal Messages
5: Symbolic Interactionism
6: Expectancy Violations Theory
7: Family Communication Patterns Theory
Relationship Development
8: Social Penetration Theory
9: Uncertainty Reduction Theory
10: Social Information Processing Theory
Relationship Maintenance
11: Relational Dialectics Theory
12: Communication Privacy Management Theory
13: Media Multiplexity Theory
Division Three: Social Influence Persuasion
14: Social Judgment Theory
15: Elaboration Likelihood Model
16: Cognitive Dissonance Theory
Public Rhetoric
17: The Rhetoric
18: Dramatism
19: Narrative Paradigm
Division Four: Group and Organizational Communication
Group Communication
20: Functional Perspective on Group Decision-Making
21: Symbolic Convergence Theory
Organizational Communication
22: Cultural Approach to Organizations
23: Communicative Constitution of Organizations
24: Critical Theory of Communication in Organizations
Division Five: Cultural Context
Intercultural Communication
25: Communication Accommodation Theory
26: Face-Negotiation Theory
27: Co-Cultural Theory
28: Afrocentricity Gender and Communication
29: Feminist Standpoint Theory
30: Muted Group Theory
Division Six: Mass Communication
Media and Culture
31: Media Ecology
32: Context Collapse
33: Semiotics
34: Cultural Studies
Media Effects
35: Uses and Gratifications
36: Cultivation Theory
37: Agenda-Setting Theory
Division Seven: Integration
38: Common Threads in Comm Theories
Communication Theory encourages students who are encountering the field for the first time to tackle theories without fear. The authors' conversational style and relevant examples keep complex theories within the grasp of first-time theory students. They introduce over 30 diverse theories that are a mix of foundational and recent scholarship and, with the benefit of numerous examples and connections to pop culture, help students apply them to their own lives. The discrete presentation of the theories ensures a well-rounded understanding of each while promoting integrative thinking and facilitating the ability of instructors to skip or rearrange their presentation. The broad selection of theories - from the classics to the cutting edge - ensures that students have a solid foundation with which to begin understanding the relationships between theories.
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