Includes index.

Contents: Overview: Introduction -- Talk about theory -- Weighing the words -- Mapping the territory -- Interpersonal communication -- Interpersonal communication: Symbolic interactionism -- Coordinated management of meaning -- Expectancy violations theory -- Interpersonal deception theory -- Constructivism -- Social penetration theory -- Uncertainty reduction theory -- The Interactional view -- Relational dialectics -- Social judgement theory -- Elaboration likelihood model -- Group and public communication: Functional perspective on group decision making -- Adaptive structuration theory -- Cultural approach to organizations -- Critical theory of communication: approach to organizations -- The Rhetoric -- Dramatism -- Narrative paradigm -- Mass communication -- Semotics -- Cultural studies -- Cultivation theory -- Agenda-setting theory -- The Media equation -- Cultural context: Anxiety/uncertainty management theory -- Face-negotiation theory -- Speech codes theory -- Genderlect styles -- Standpoint theory -- Muted group theory -- Integration: Order out of chaos -- Appendix A: Glossary -- Appendix B: Abstracts of theories -- Appendix C: Academic journals that focus on communication theory -- Appendix D: feature films that illustrate communication theory endnotes.