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Proposed by Judee Burgoon, this theory suggests that people have expectations for how others should behave that are based on social norms and individual characteristics. When someone violates these expectations, the violator's reward value determines the outcome of the violation. Implications include the understanding of how nonverbal cues affect communication efficacy and relationships.

This theory views interpersonal relationships as an economic exchange where people seek to maximize benefits and minimize costs. Thibaut and Kelley proposed that individuals evaluate their relationships based on the rewards and costs, comparison level, and comparison level of alternatives. Implications include assessing why individuals stay in or leave relationships and how they achieve relational satisfaction.

Stella Ting-Toomey developed this theory to explain how individualistic and collectivistic cultural backgrounds influence people’s approaches to conflict resolution. 'Face' refers to the projected image of oneself that person wants to present. Implications include understanding of strategies used to maintain face during conflicts and the role of culture in interpersonal communications.

This theory, a development upon Expectancy Violations Theory by Judee Burgoon, posits that individuals adapt their communication behaviors based on the interaction and the communicative patterns of their partners. The framework accounts for the reciprocity and compensation observed in human interactions. Implications include insights on dynamic and adaptive nature of communication in interpersonal relationships.

Leslie Baxter and Mikhail Bakhtin conceptualized Relational Dialectics Theory. It emphasizes the tensions, contradictions, and interplays inherent in personal relationships. Key dialectics include autonomy-connection, openness-closedness, and predictability-novelty. Implications include recognizing managing relational dialectics is key to maintaining relationships.

Originally formulated by John Bowlby, attachment theory in the context of interpersonal communication explains how individuals form emotional bonds and attachments from early life experiences. These bonds influence patterns of behavior in adult relationships. Implications include the classification of attachment styles (secure, avoidant, anxious/ambivalent) and understanding communication behaviors in relationships.

Barnett Pearce and Vernon Cronen created this theory, which focuses on how individuals establish rules for creating and interpreting meaning and how those rules are enmeshed in a conversation. The theory explains how individuals coordinate their actions with others to make behavior sensible and effective. Implications include the influence of context on communicative acts and the creation of social realities through conversation.

Developed by Penelope Brown and Stephen Levinson, this theory postulates the strategies individuals employ to address face needs (positive and negative face), particularly when making requests, giving compliments, or criticizing. Implications include understanding how and why individuals use politeness strategies to soften speech acts and maintain social harmony.

Developed by Sandra Petronio, this theory explores how people perceive the information they hold as personal or private and how they decide whether to disclose or protect it. The theory also deals with the rules people use to determine if and how they should share private information. Implications include the understanding of privacy boundaries and the negotiation within relationships.

This theory suggests that interpersonal communication is a dual-level process consisting of conscious and unconscious connections. Created by Jesse Delia, it explores how cognitive structures influence the production and processing of messages. Implications include insights on the role of communication competence and the complexities of interaction within different contexts.

This theory proposes that, as relationships develop, interpersonal communication moves from relatively shallow, non-intimate levels to deeper, more intimate ones. The theory was formulated by psychologists Irwin Altman and Dalmas Taylor to describe how self-disclosure can lead to increased connectedness between communication partners. Implications include a better understanding of relationship development and the role of self-disclosure in forming close relationships.

Developed by Howard Giles, this theory explains how individuals adjust their communication styles to manage social differences. People engage in convergence (matching communication styles) or divergence (accentuating communication differences) based on social identities and group memberships. Implications include the impact of communication convergence on social approval and the effects of divergence on group identification and intergroup dynamics.

Formulated by Charles Berger and Richard Calabrese, this theory posits that when strangers meet, their primary concern is to reduce uncertainty about each other and their relationship. By gaining information, they can predict each other's behavior and decide whether to continue the relationship. Implications include strategies for effective communication to reduce uncertainties and the stages of communication interactions from entry to exit.

This theory crafted by Michael Hecht conceives identity as a multi-layered construct affected by personal, enacted, relational, and communal frames. It explores the connection between communication and the formation, maintenance, and change of identity. Implications include understanding the interplay between communication and identity across different contexts.