An Analysis of Communication Theories

Communication depicts human behavior and the structures of society. It is said as a slippery concept that is used casually in different frequencies. Communication is a two way process that helps in exchange of information (in other words transmitting information). Thus the communication theory itself explains and describes precisely what communication is (Wikibooks, 2006). There are many theories developed on human communication. Analyzing all theories is a vast and difficult task so this study has selected five communication theories Attribution theory, Groupthink theory, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, FIRO theory of needs and Social exchange theory and tries to identify the advantages, weaknesses and critiques. For studying the major concepts of the selected theories Em Griffin book titled “A first look at communication theory” has been chosen. Em Griffin’s extensive researches on communication theories have bought a great impact in the patterns of world of communication. The complete study is based on the analysis of the chosen book.