Applied Interpersonal Communication Matters

It is an important time for scholars of communication to develop rich theory addressing critical applied interpersonal issues. Stress, substance abuse, violence, health problems, divorce, safety, and aging are but a few of the problems individuals address in their day-to-day interpersonal communication. That communication is critical to coping successfully with these challenges. Stressing the timeliness of such applied contributions, the International Communication Association instituted a regular feature in its newsletter on communication matters, and focused its most recent conference on applied issues in communication. This edited volume, containing individual chapters by original researchers, explores socially meaningful contributions to the study of interpersonal problems involving language and social action.

The Editors: René M. Dailey is Assistant Professor in the department of communication studies at the University of Texas at Austin. She has authored several articles in the areas of interpersonal and family communication. Her specific research interests include the role of family communication in development, particularly for children and adolescents. Beth A. Le Poire is Associate Professor in the department of communication at California Lutheran University. She has published more than forty articles and book chapters cutting across various areas of applied interpersonal research, including the communication of stigma, early parental and subsequent romantic attachment, and the effects that partners of substance abusers can have on continued substance abuse. She is currently authoring a family communication textbook.