Relational communication / William W. Wilmot.

Includes bibliographical references and indexes.

This text is intended for use in courses on interpersonal communication. It covers topics such as the relationship as a mini-culture, the ebbs and flows of relationships and the effects of communication in enhancing and constricting relationships.
Initially designed to be a new edition of Wilmot's well-respected DYADIC COMMUNICATION (1987), this entirely new, highly original work is aimed at second-level courses in interpersonal communication. Written by one of the discipline's top scholars, it features Wilmot's own cutting edge research and insights, as well as a very thorough and up-to-date literature review of other top scholarship in the field and from other relevant disciplines (i.e. psychology).
The new title, RELATIONAL COMMUNICATION, reflects the book's new emphasis on relationships currently the hottest area of interpersonal communication research. It also highlights its strong organisational framework, in which the relational perspective permeates every chapter, from the discussion of relationships as mini-cultures in Chapter 1 to the self and other "in relation" and the ebbs and flows of relationships. The second half of the book focuses on the effects of communication in enhancing ) and constricting relationships, as well as healing, reconnecting and building community.