Understanding Misunderstandings: Exploring Interpersonal Communication

This lively, well-paced text takes an innovqative approach to interspersonal communication. Blending theory and practice, the author uses a case study approach to improve interpersonal skills. Comprehensive and well documented, the book offers relevant, identifiable, and useful vontent by applying interpersonal concepts to acturl encounters. The cases in Understanding Misunderstandings are drawn from the author's personal dealings and the experiences of teachers, students, counselors, and others. There vivid, in-depth descriptions of actual communication encounters-som humorous, others serious-put specific theories into familiar contexts (male/female encounters, interacting in the family, teacher/student transactions, marital encounters, job related exchanges, and many more.) Following each fast-moving case, the author provides a tetailed analysis of the interpersonal theories and concepts involved and a practice case study with probe questions. The final chapter integrates the concepts and theories presented and shows how they can be applied to interpersonal encounters by using an original method entitled "the three-step communication analysis." In addition to covering all traditional issues, this book examines such timely topics as sex-role communication, interpersonal games, transracial and intercultural interaction, interpersonal manipulation, interpersonal conflicts, assertiveness training, conflict management, behavior modification, and other attitude change techniques.