Interpersonal Communication

Students and scholars of interpersonal communication research often enter this area of study without a clear understanding of what interpersonal communication research entails. Indeed, the field often attracts researchers for personal reasons (e.g., many interpersonal communication researchers are good listeners or fascinated by their own relationships with others). However, interpersonal communication research is a specific field of communication research with its own history, theories, and methods. This entry reviews and provides examples of the building blocks of interpersonal communication research. The building blocks include what one studies (e.g., concepts, theories, and contexts) and the research traditions (e.g., empirical, interpretive, and critical) that inform interpersonal communication research.

Concepts, Theories, and Contexts of Interpersonal Communication

At the core of any project is the topic ...

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