Interpersonal Communication interweaves current research and theory with the skills needed to communicate effectively in today's complex and diverse "global village." Now in its fifth edition, this bestseller explains the principles and theoretical underpinnings of interpersonal communication while enriching students' everyday interactions with new interpersonal skills. The authors' five-point model of communication competence focuses on the keys to becoming a better communicator. Introduced in the first chapter and employed throughout the book, this useful model emphasizes how communication constructs relationships and how relationships in turn encourage or constrain communication practices. Every chapter contains fascinating applications of communication practices. Drawn from anthropology, ethnology, history, psychology, and popular culture, these applications illustrate how the information and skills needed for effective interpersonal communication can enrich students' enjoyment of most of life's activities. Interpersonal Communication, 5/e, is ideal for introductory classes on interpersonal communication. Revised and Updated for the Fifth Edition .Chapter 4, Verbal Competence, consolidates material on gender and language previously covered in separate chapters. It presents traditional findings and accompanying criticisms side-by-side in order to encourage careful interpretation and discussion. .Chapter 8, Self Competence, includes an expanded discussion and a new case study on the best way to handle coming-out disclosures-a topic that college students are encountering more and more frequently. .Chapter 11, Intimate Relationships, provides additional information on factors that lead to the break-up of personal relationships and discusses how gender roles affect relational satisfaction. It also offers a sampling of John Gottman's seminal work on relational conflict. .Chapter 12, Professional Relationships, has been revised substantially. It contains new sections on organized narratives and ritual, as well as discussions of how to manage professional relationships and set boundaries to separate home, work, and community. .Chapter 13, Cultural and Historical Influences, features a new discussion of several basic variables that define cultural difference, followed by an examination of how American cultural patterns fit those variables."