Until recently, however, research in the field of interpersonal communication has been dominated by a behavioral science approach closely aligned with experimental social psychology. This timely and provocative volume critiques the limitations of past models, exploring a range of "social approaches" which help bring communication up to date. While the roots of these approaches are diverse and interdisciplinary, they overlap in their concern for the social construction of self, other, and event, and in their acknowledgment of the researcher's role in establishing not only the research questions but also the research context. Though grounded in examples from interpersonal communication, the approaches described in this volume are applicable to the understanding of communication in any number of realms, including organizations.