Uncertainty Reduction Theory

700 Words2 Pages

The Uncertainty Reduction Theory states that before and during initial interactions between two people, one's first instinct is to reduce uncertainty about the other through various methods. For example, when you see someone you think you would like to know, you try and figure out what they are like through various methods so you can control the conversation and steer it into a path that the other person finds interesting.

There are a few methods, or strategies, of figuring out what the other person likes: passive, active, and interactive. In the passive strategy, you try to find out the other person's interests through observation from afar. This happens without their knowledge, because you're trying to figure out what they're like without influencing their decisions. The second strategy is called the active strategy. For this, there is interaction between you and someone else that is not the person you're finding information about. For example, you talk to the person's friends to find out what they're like. Of course, this has the drawback of possibly obtaining incorrect informat...

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