COMM 305 1st Edition Lecture 6 Outline of Last Lecture I Relational Contradictions II Praxis Patterns Outline of Current Lecture I Applying Relational Dialectics to Disclosure II Uncertainty Reduction Theory URT III Problems with URT IV Uncertainty Management Theory Current Lecture Applying Relational Dialectics to Disclosure o Most of out disclosures are positive However we tend to remember the negative ones more o Disclosure is related to health and well being o Negative disclosures is one of the ways we build trust o We disclose things about ourselves to make ourselves feel better o Relational Dialectics T gives us questions o SPT gives us predictions Which theory is better is hard to determine without knowing the background of the situation Uncertainty Reduction Theory URT initially ONLY about first meetings Says that first meetings are for reducing uncertainty You want to make sense of their behavior predict what they will do Uncertainty is bad for relationships Even though Relational Dialectics theory says we need uncertainty o Motivational Force Uncertainty Reduction There are 3 things that can heighten this motivational force Anticipating future action do you think you ll be seeing this person again Incentive value does the person you re communicating have something you want or need These notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor s lecture GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes not as a substitute Deviance the person you re communicating with acts strange weird o Axioms of URT fundamental laws between uncertainty and URT Verbal Communication We communicate verbally with each other to reduce uncertainty and the more we communicate verbally the more we ll reduce uncertainty Nonverbal Expressiveness As we reduce uncertainty we ll be more nonverbally expressive Information Seeking To reduce uncertainty you ll seek less information Intimacy As uncertainty is high intimacy is low Reciprocity The more uncertain you are about someone the more you ll reciprocate in your disclosures Similarities The more alike we find ourselves to be the less uncertainty we ll experience Liking The more certain you are the more you like someone o Putting the Axioms Together One axiom will encourage discourage another axiom through reduced increased uncertainty Problems with URT o The theory isn t complete enough Ex It doesn t talk about the emotional aspect of the uncertainty The theory doesn t apply across cultures The idea that uncertainty is something we always want to reduce Uncertainty Management Theory less about relationship development and more about uncertainty itself and how uncertainty is connected to communication Can be summarized in three ideas o The way we react to uncertainty will be determined by how we appraise it o We manage uncertainty through communication o Management can include reducing but also maintaining or even increasing uncertainty