The Theory of Communication and Uncertainty Management: Implications from the Wider Realm of Information Behavior

How people manage uncertainty has become an increasingly popular focus of research in the communication discipline (e.g., Berger, 2005; Goldsmith, 2001; Knobloch & Solomon, 2005), and across the social and behavioral sciences (e.g., Clayton, Mishel, &: Belyea, 2006; Dawson, Savitsky, & Dunning, 2006). The research and the theories represented in this volume demonstrate both the broad range of interests in this area, as well as the complexity of processes central to uncertainty management. The purpose of this chapter is to describe and to elaborate one theoretical basis for understanding those processes: the theory of communication and uncertainty management, also referred to as uncertainty management theory (UMT).