Author's Preface xiii
1 Theorizing as an Everyday Activity 1
Preview 1
Implicit Theories and Window Bashing 1
Implicit Theorizing and Phronesis 9
Phronesis in Aristotle 10
John Dewey and Theory-in-Use 11
Phronesis, Preunderstanding and the Possibility of Productive Communication 13
Assumptive Preunderstandings 14
Assumptions About the Nature of Things 14
Assumptions About Determining What is True 17
Assumptions about the Just, Good, and Beautiful 19
Communication Theorizing as a Form of Phronesis 20
Explicit Reflection on Theories 21
Normalization of Failure 22
Changing Problems, Changing Theories 22
Review 23
Discussion Questions 24
Exercise 24
References 25
2 New Social Conditions and the Challenge to Existing Implicit Theories 26
Preview 26
Everyday Theorizing and Repetitive Failure 26
Why Do People Continue to Window Bash? 27
Common Sense and Unwitting Consent 28
Self-Referentiality of Systems 31
System Reproductivity 33
Intervention in Repetitive Failures 34
A Transformed Social World 35
Rapidity of Contemporary Life Changes 35
Interdependence and Pluralism 37
Growth of Mediation 42
Interaction Design 44
Review 49
Discussion Questions 49
Exercise 50
References 50
3 Evaluation of Theories 51
Preview 51
Making the Implicit Explicit 51
Mirrors and Lenses 52
Theory as a Mirror of Nature 54
Explanation/Prediction/Control 56
Domain Specification 56
Hypothesis Testing 56
An Example 57
Theory as a Lens on the World 59
Making the World We Want 65
Developing a "Communication" Theory 66
Review 68
Discussion Questions 68
Exercise 69
References 69
4 A Typology of Theories 70
Preview 70
Ways of Thinking about Communication 70
Common Native Theories of Interaction 71
Teleology of Interaction 72
Teleology of Influence 72
Teleology of Participation 73
Dominance of Influence 74
Conceptions of Meaning and Human Experience 75
Prototypical Theories of Communication 80
Quadrant 1: Strategic Communication 81
Quadrant 2: Liberal Democracy 84
Constructionism and the Limits of Liberal Democracy 85
The Primacy of Personal Experience 86
Freedom of Speech and Speaking Forums 86
Persuasion and Advocacy 87
Scale and Representation 88
Quadrant 3: Cultural Management 88
Quadrant 4: Generative Democracy 91
Review 93
Discussion Questions 94
Exercise 94
References 94
5 Relational Construction of Human Experience 95
Preview 95
Common Implicit Story of Communication 95
Relational Constructionism 97
Relational Encounter 97
Indeterminant Nature of the Outside 98
Subject Positions and Experience 99
The World as Attended To 101
Political Nature of Subject Positions 102
Politics of Institutional Practices 104
Language as Positioning the Subject 107
Language as Representation 108
Language as a Tool of Personal Expression 109
Language as Constitutive of Experience 110
Review 116
Discussion Questions 116
Exercise 117
References 117
6 The Politics of Experience 118
Preview 118
Pluralism and Difference 118
Differences and Claims in Life Arenas 120
Types of Claims and Arenas of Difference 122
Relation to the Interior: The Politics of Authenticity 123
Relation to Specific Others: The Politics of Identity and Recognition 128
Relations to Generalized Others and Society: The Politics of Order 130
Relation to the Outer World: The Politics of Knowledge 132
Relation to the Future: The Politics of Life Narratives 135
Relation to Morality: The Politics of Distribution and Justice 139
Review 141
Discussion Questions 141
Exercise 142
References 142
7 Constructing Worlds Together 143
Preview
Relation of Relational Claims 143
People Frequently Confuse Claims 146
Consequences of Articulation 147
Disarticulation and Interaction Design 150
Interpretive Processes and the Fluid Nature of Meaning 152
Aligning Meaning Processes 155
Alignment and Framing 156
Alignment of Claims in Systems 158
Complex Flow of Meaning Making Over Time 159
Competing Meanings Often Exist 160
Meaning Production has no Clear Beginnings or Ends 161
Working with Confusing Claims 162
Nonalignment is Often Repeated Over Time 164
Review 165
Discussion Questions 166
Exercise 166
References 166
8 Developing Free and Open Communication 168
Preview 168
Working with Difference 168
Returning to Interaction Teleology 170
Moral Foundation for Free and Open Communication 172
Reciprocity as an Implicit Normative Claim 174
Implications of Reciprocity 176
Genuine Conversation 177
Genuine Conversation at the Breakfast Table 178
Difference and Conceptions of Genuine Conversations 180
Contestation: The Opening of Communication Where Before None Seemed Needed 183
Free and Open Communication Designs 185
Deliberation 186
Dialogue 188
Collaboration 189
Collaborative Versus Strategic Orientation 189
Representation and Who is at the Table 190
Problem-Talk and Outcome-Talk 191
Distinguishing Wants and Interests 192
Grade Change to What End? 193
Collaboration Beyond Resource Limited Situations 193
Review 194
Discussion Questions 195
Exercise 195
References 196
9 Strategic Communication 197
Preview 197
Stopping of Communication Where It Is Needed 197
Openly Strategic Communication 198
Latently Strategic Communication 200
Discursive Advantages 202
Discursive Closures 205
Disqualification 205
Naturalization 206
Natural Laws of Basketball 207
Neutralization 207
Nondiscussibility 208
Subjectification of Experience 210
Meaning Denial 211
Strategically Reopening Communication 212
Resistance 212
Metacommunication 213
Rhetoric 214
Strategic Action 214
Review 214
Discussion Questions 215
Exercise 215
References 216
10 Interpersonal Interaction 217
Preview 217
Interpersonal Relationships 217
Interaction Systems 218
Holism 218
Equilibrium 219
Recursivity 219
Emergence 220
Alignment Processes 220
Acceptance, Rejection, and Disconfirmation 221
Taken-For-Granted-Knowledge 223
Coherence Expectations 225
Episodes and Scripts 228
Casting 230
Mixed Messages and Meaning Denial 233
Undesirable Repetitive Patterns 235
Review 240
Discussion Questions 240
Exercise 240
References 241
11 Interaction in Organizations 242
Preview 242
The Organizational Context 242
Relational Construction and Organization 243
Communication in Organizations 245
The Turn to Culture 249
Culture as Relational Construction 251
Emotions 252
Identity 253
Social Order 254
Knowledge 255
Life Narratives 256
Justice and Distribution 257
Neoliberalism 258
Corporate Colonization 258
Free and Open Communication 261
Collaboration in and Between Organizations 262
Getting Social Values into Decision Making 263
Traditional Forms of Public Value Inclusion 264
Stewardship 264
Consumer Choices 265
Limits of Government Intervention 266
Emerging Forms of Public Value Inclusion 268
Benefit Corporations (B-Corps) 268
Stakeholder Models 269
Review 270
Discussion Questions 271
Exercise 271
References 271
12 Social and Mass Media 273
Preview 273
The Growth of Mediation 273
Mediation and Latent Strategy 275
The Myth of Transparency 275
Transforming the Sensual 276
Content and Latent Strategy 279
The Blurring of Message Types 279
Culture Industries 280
Promises and Concerns 281
More Connectivity281
Increased Capacity to Respond 282
More and More Widely Shared Information 284
More Diverse Content and Receiver Selectivity 287
Ownership and Commercial Interests 288
Ownership Bias 288
Commercial Bias 290
Medium Design Biases 292
Increasing Choice and Content Diversity 295
Greater Integration of Systems 296
Democratic Potential 298
Media Literacy and Media as a Change Agent 299
Communication as a Public Utility 300
Development Choices 302
The Facilitation of Democracy 303
Review 304
Discussion Questions 305
Exercise 305
References 306
13 Analysis of Cases and Interaction Design 307
A Final Word 314
Reference 314
Appendix: Chapter Briefs 315
Index 327
