Uncertainty Reduction theory
Charles Berger
No matter how close two people eventually become, they always begin as strangers. Let’s say you’ve just taken a job as a driver for a delivery service over the winter break. After talking with the other drivers, you conclude that your income and peace of mind will depend on working out a good relationship with Heather, the radio dispatcher. All you know for sure about Heather is her attachment to Hannah, a 100—pound Labrador retriever that never lets Heather out of her sight. The veteran drivers joke that it’s hard to tell the difference between the voices of Heather and Hannah over the radio. With some qualms you make arrangements to meet Heather (and Hannah) over coffee and donuts before your first day of work. You really have no idea what to expect.
Chuck Berger believes it’s natural to have doubts about our ability to predict the outcome of initial encounters. Berger, a professor 3f communication at the University of California, Davis, notes that "the beginnings of personal relationships uncertainties.”1 Unlike social penetration theory, which tries to forecast the future of a relationship on the basis of projected rewards and costs (see Chapter 9), Berger’s uncertainty reduction theory (URT) focuses on how human communication is used to gain knowledge and create understanding.
Central to the present theory is the assumption that when strangers meet, their primary concern is one of uncertainty reduction or increasing predictability about the behavior of both themselves and others in the interaction.
Interpersonal ignorance is not bliss; it’s frustrating! Berger contends that our drive to reduce uncertainty about new acquaintances gets a boost from any of three prior conditions 3