Four approaches to interpersonal communication: Review, observation, prognosis

This paper uses four focal points to review interpersonal communication research conducted by speech communication scholars. These four foci include the dialogic approach which stresses authentic communication; the cohesion approach which explores how communication is related to interpersonal outcomes; the message process approach which stresses verbal and nonverbal exchange patterns in dyads; and the rhetorical approach which stresses the strategic nature of communication behavior in dyads. Research in each of these areas is reviewed and selected observations about the nature of that research are offered. The paper concludes with a prognosis for future developments in interpersonal communication.

Notes

Portions of this manuscript were prepared while the author was International Visiting Fellow in Communication Studies at Kuring‐gai College of Advanced Education, Lindfield, Australia. An earlier version of this paper was published in the Australian Communication Review. The monetary support provided by the KCAE Department of Communication Studies was greatly appreciated. Frances E. Ayres deserves acknowledgement for her assistance in preparing this manuscript.