Chapter 3 (The Communicator)

Chapter 3 begins by providing information about the five major groups of theories. These five groups are the biophysiological, cognitive and information processing, communication competence, theories of identity and theories of agency.

For instance, biophysiological theories were one of the groups that caught my attention. This theory group tracks the specific aspects of human behavior such as traits. Traits are attributes to a person that are first developed in the communication discipline and helps create personality. On the contrary, the trait approach/theory allows people to understand the differences between people who are argumentative in communication or those who have communication apprehension, like me.


Another theory group that I allowed myself to dive more in-depth to was the competence theory. Competence theories tend to explain why and how people behave with the interaction between others. I find this fascinating to think about because after reading, I began to listen more closely and were observant of my friends who came down to visit for the weekend, my roommate, and co-workers. I became observant of them just to see if I could understand how they made everyday situations as a stage to sell themselves, see how they negotiate,either  mindfuly or not, and how
they shape their identity.


Overall, Chapter 3 made me do a lot of thinking about those who I surround myself with and how I can improve on traits that I already portray.

References: Littlejohn, S. W., Foss, K. A., & Oetzel, J. G. (2017). Theories of Human Communication.

Chapter 1 & 2 Foundations of Communication Theory & Framework of Organizing Theories

Hello class!

While reading Chapter 1 and 2 of Theories of Human Communication, I noticed that this text was more difficult to read than other texts that I have read in the past. However, once I got more in-depth into Chapter 1, I realized how different people including Theodore Clevenger, Frank Dance, Robert Craig and myself all had a way of defining communication. It all goes to show that communication has been studied and will continue to be a study in order to be more efficient when it comes to communicating.

After understanding how communication is developed as a discipline, I then went into focusing on the theme of the text, which was theories. Theories are seen to consist of four dimensions which include philosophical assumptions, explanations, principles, and concepts. Within those concepts are more diverse types and specific values of each dimension.

Once I understood each of the dimensions of theories and was able to understand that no single theory will ever reveal the whole truth, Chapter 2 then allowed me to see some of the larger frameworks or patterns by which theories have been organized. Overall, Chapter 2 explained Gibson Burrell and Gareth Morgan's paradigms, John Prowers's tiers, Robert Craig's traditions, and Stanley Deetz's discourses. After reading each of these gentlemen's outlook on the framework of theories, it was easy to see how theories are different. For instance, Burrell and Morgan focused on the nature of social science and showed clear distinctions between assumptions and approaches. While, Power's help us, the class, understand the nature of the message and communicator, and the levels of contexts and communication. 

All in all, I am excited to actually get into theories that stands out and catches my attention. However, until then it's all about learning the basics and the back end of theories.

References: Littlejohn, S. W., Foss, K. A., & Oetzel, J. G. (2017). Theories of Human Communication.