Accompanied by author analysis and contemporary applications, this collection of readings, reflections and invitations to dialogue make Interpersonal Communication: Making Worlds Together a highly readable yet sophisticated text that is well-suited for today’s interpersonal communication course. Theoretical essays, research reports, narratives and ethnographic studies, have been carefully selected by the authors for their clarity and intellectual stimulation.
The authors introduce each reading and provide the reader with a preview of its insight, relevance, and association with social constructionist theory. Each piece is followed by a series of challenges and questions to help further understanding and to stimulate continuing dialogue, with an emphasis on interactive learning. Readers will come away with an ability to apply the wisdom of interpersonal communication with a critical eye to future challenges.
Table of Contents:
PART I: COMMUNICATION AND WORLD CONSTRUCTION: MAKING WORLDS TOGETHER
Introduction: Communication as Social Construction
1. Language Games, by Ludwig Wittgenstein
2. Pain as Social Construction, by David Morris
3. The Blinding Power of the Real, by David Rosenhan
4. Breaking the Rules of Everyday Life, by Harold Garfinkel
5. Discourses of Death, by Christopher Bodily
6. The Challenge of Reconstruction, by David Alexander
- Key Constructions
- Suggested Readings
- Web Resources
- Discussion Questions and/or Short Papers
PART II: THE RELATIONAL SELF
7. The Self as Dramatic Actor, by Erving Goffman
8. Your Body as Communication, by Queen Latifah
9. Doing Emotion/Doing Gender, by Stephanie Shields
10. The Narrative Construction of Self, by Jerome Bruner
11. Childhood Shaping of the Self, by Stan and Jan Bernstain
12. Social Ghosts: Others Within, by Mary Gergen
13. Positioning the Self, by Rom Harre` and Nikki Slocum
- Key Constructions
- Suggested Readings
- Web Resources
- Discussion Questions and/or Short Papers
Part III COMMUNICATION AS COLLABORATIVE ACTION
Section A: Discourse in Action
Introduction
14. Social Scripts: The Organization of Spontaneity, by Donal Carbaugh
15. Structured Conversation: Adjacency-Pairs, by Richard Buttney
16. Unwanted Repetitive Patterns, by Barnett Pearce
17. Metaphors We Live, by William Foster Owen
18. Meaning as Co-Created, by Kenneth Gergen
19. Toward Satisfying Dialogue, by Robyn Penman
20. The significance of Future Talk, by Sheila McNamee
- Key Constructions
Section B: Non-Verbal Language: Meaning as Action
Introduction
21. Reading Public Communication, by Rijsman et. al., Photo
22. The Eyes Have It, by John Shotter
23. Space Invasion, by Alice C. Pennisi
24. Styling the Self, by John Fiske
25. You **@#$**!@!!: Swearing as Bonding?, by Alania M. Winters and Steve Duck
- Key Constructions
Section C: Listening as Collaboration
Introduction
26. Dialogic Listening, by John Stewart and Carole Logan
27. Listening: A Two-Way Street, by Barbara M. Korsch and Caroline Harding
28. Listening as a Cultural Act: The Blackfeet, by Donal Carbaugh
- Key Constructions
- Suggested Readings for Section III
- Web Resources for Section III
- Discussion Questions and/or Short Papers for Section III
PART IV RELATIONAL DYNAMICS: FROM INTIMACY TO CONFLICT
Section A: The Art of Friendship
Introduction
29. Friendship Talk and Social Survival, by Terri Apter and Ruthellen Josselson
30. How Can You Hurt Me: Let Me Count the Ways, by Anita L. Vangelisti, Stacy L. Young, Katy E. Carpenter-Theune & Alicia L. Alexander
31. “The Girls:” Friendships Among Women, by Hilary M. Lips
32. The Silent Friendship of Men, by Roger Rosenblatt
33. Teaching as Friendship, by William K. Rawlins
34. Risk-taking as Communication, by Cynthia Lightfoot
- Key Constructions
Section B: The Intricacies of Intimacy
Introduction
35. What is a Close Relationship, by William W. Wilmot
36. Games People Play, by Peter M. Kellet and Diana G. Dalton
37. Marriage Ceremonies: New Voices, New Values, by Stuart Schrader and Catherine Dobris
38. Relationship Awareness, by Linda Acitelli
39. Dancing in the Dark, By Peggy Penn
- Key Constructions
Section C: The Fragility of Family
Introduction
40. Wife and Stepmother Communication Distress in Blended Families, by Laurel Richardson
41. Why Dad’s Don’t Talk, By Deborah Tannen
42. Failed Relationships: Men and Women on Divorce, by Catherine Kohler Riessman
43. Fighting for (and despite) Dear Life, by Carolyn Ellis
44. Family Resilience, by Froma Walsh
- Key Constructions
Section D: Conflict Crossing Over to Reconciliation
Introduction
45. Systemic Questions: The Importance of "Us," By Stephen W. Littlejohn and Kathy Domenici
46. From Stuck Debate to New Conversation, by Carol Becker, Laura Chasin, Richard Chasin, Margaret Herzig and Sallyann Roth
47. Education for Peace: Jewish-Arab Conflict Resolution, by Grace Feuerverger
48. Improvising a New Life: Interactive Theater, By Jonathan Shailor
49. Organizational Transformation Through Appreciative Inquiry, by David L. Cooperrider and Diana Whitney
- Key Constructions
- Suggested Readings for Section IV
- Web Resources for Section IV
- Discussion Questions and/or Short Papers for Section IV
PART V CONTEXTS OF COMMUNICATION: CULTURE AND TECHNOLOGY
Section A: Contexts of Communication: Culture and Technology
Introduction
50. Connecting with the Lakota, By Kathryn Kavanaugh, Kathleen Absalom, William Beil and Lucia Schliessmann
51. Speaking Across the Generations: The Hippie and the Goth, By Sara Holbrook
52. Cultural Collisions: An Email from Bojun, By Bojun Hu
53. Resisting Education, by Paul Willis
54. Bringing Cultures Together, by Mary Jane Collier, Brenda L. Allen, Benjamin J. Broome, Tricia S. Jones and Victoria Chen
- Key Constructions
Section B: Communicating in the New Worlds of Technology
Introduction
55. Making friends in Cyberspace, by Malcolm Parks and Kory Floyd
56. Grassroots therapy on the Net, by John Miller and Kenneth J. Gergen
57. Honesty in online personals, by Jennifer L Gibbs, Nicole B. Ellison & Rebecca D. Heino
58. Blogs: The Coming of Public Diaries, by Anonymous
59. The Digital Landscape, by Joshua Meyorowitz
- Key Constructions
- Suggested Readings for Section IV
- Web Resources for Section IV
- Discussion Questions and/or Short Papers for Section V
About the Author :
Kenneth J. Gergen, Senior Research Professor, Department of Psychology, Swarthmore College, 500 College Ave., Swarthmore, PA 19081 Stuart Schrader, Clinical Assistant Professor, Behavioral Sciences, Indiana School of Dentistry, Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor, Communication Studies Department, Indiana University Purdue University, Indianapolis, Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor, Dept. of Family Medicine, Indiana School of Medicine, 1121 West Michigan St. | Indianapolis, IN 46202 Mary Gergen, Professor, Penn State University, 311 Rogers Lane, Wallingford, PA 19086
