Blackwell Reference Online

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Uncertainty has been an important concept in communication theory for many decades (→  Uncertainty Reduction Theory ). Understanding how people respond to uncertainty in developing relationships (→  Relational Uncertainty ) and in intercultural encounters (→  Anxiety Uncertainty Management Theory ) has been the foundation of a large body of interpersonal communication research. This work has demonstrated complex relationships between communication, →  information seeking , and the management of uncertainty (→  Uncertainty Management ). Recent theory building and testing have extended the concept into the social influence and behavioral change domain, primarily through →  Health Communication research (→  Health Behavior Change, Transtheoretical Model of ). Babrow et al. (1998) noted that uncertainty is a central feature of health and illness experiences, but that it had been conceptualized differently across various strands of research. These researchers integrated those definitions and explained that “uncertainty exists when details of situations are ambiguous, complex, unpredictable, or probabilistic; when information is unavailable or inconsistent; and when people feel insecure in their own state of knowledge or the state of knowledge in general” ( Brashers 2001 , 478). Babrow et al. argued that this more complete description forms the basis for further theory building and ... log in or subscribe to read full text