Examples and applications
Charles Berger's: Uncertainty Reduction Theory
Charles Berger believes that it is natural to have doubts about our ability to predict the outcome of initial encounters in relationships. He also says, "the beginnings of personal relationships are fraught with uncertainties." I couldn't agree more. I also believe that in the beginning stages of any and all relationships on a personal level, there are all sorts of uncertainties, which the parties have about each other. There are uncertainties about personalities, behaviors, likes and dislikes, and the list goes on and on.
Berger's axiomatic theory: Certainty about uncertainty
There are eight axioms, which Berger says are certain about uncertainty. The first axiom is "Given the high level of uncertainty present at the onset of the entry phase, as the amount of verbal communication between strangers increases, the level of uncertainty for each interactant in the relationship will decrease. As uncertainty is further reduced, the amount of verbal communication will increase." I agree with this axiom, for example I met my girlfriends mother for the first time yesterday and there were all kinds of uncertainties between us. Although I realized that after about ten minutes of speaking with her my anxiety and uncertainties were no longer a problem and I was somewhat comfortable about the situation.
Berger's second axiom states "as nonverbal affiliative expressiveness increases, uncertainty levels will decrease in an initial interaction situation. In addition, decreases in uncertainty level will cause increases in nonverbal affiliative expressiveness." I also agree with this axiom because when I first met Mrs. Long we were very formal and there was a lot of uncertainty but Mrs. Long broke the tension with a smile. That was a nonverbal expression which intern made me feel better about the situation at hand. Her nonverbal expression lead to me smiling and our conversation started off on a lighter note, which reduced my uncertainty.
Berger's third axiom says "High levels of uncertainty cause increases in information-seeking behavior. As uncertainty levels decline, information-seeking behavior decreases." Once again I agree with Berger here he says that the more uncertainty you feel, the more you try to find out about that person before you meet them. In my example this was correct. I asked my girlfriend many questions about her mother before I had to meet her. I asked everything from what does she look like to what does she do and weather or not she had an easy going attitude or if she was more formal. Sara answered my questions and each bit of information that I was able to learn about her mother before I met her helped me and at the same time reduced my uncertainty about her.
Berger's fourth axiom says "High levels of uncertainty in a relationship cause decreases in the intimacy level of communication content. Low levels of uncertainty produce high levels of intimacy.
This also holds true because when I first walked into my girlfriend’s house and her mother greeted me the level of intimacy in our conversation was slim to none. However as we talked for a few minutes we became more and more comfortable about each other and we started talking about her daughter and actually disclosing some very intimate conversation, such as how long we have been dating and what our plans are and so forth. This also lowered our levels of uncertainty about each other.
Berger's fifth axiom states "High levels of uncertainty produce high rates of reciprocity. Low levels of uncertainty produce low levels of reciprocity." Once again I agree with this axiom because when her mother and I were talking we were a little hesitant at first to give out any personal information but the more familiar we became with each other the more we disclosed about ourselves on an intimate level. We were feeling each other out and the more we disclosed about ourselves the more comfortable we felt about the situation at hand.
Berger's Sixth axiom says "Similarities between persons reduce uncertainty, while dissimilarities produce increases in uncertainty." This axiom is also true because when I was speaking with Mrs. Long I realized that her father was someone who I had worked construction with, that was something I had not known before and it opened up a much more comfortable situation and gave us more things to speak about which in turn made things much more comfortable.
Berger's seventh axiom says "Increases in uncertainty levels produce decreases in liking; defcreases in uncertainty produce increases in liking." This axiom is definitely true because the more Mrs. Long and I talked the more uncertainty was reduced. When our uncertainty was reduced we felt more comfortable around each other. Which means we started to like each other more and more every time we reduced some uncertainty so I definitely believe this. For instance when she found out that I graduated from Ontario high school and she told me that she went there, the uncertainty level decreased and our liking increases.
Berger's eight and last axiom states "Shared communication networks reduce uncertainty, while lack of shared networks increases uncertainty." This last axiom also holds true in my example because the more we had a shared communication experience the more comfortable we felt with each other. I would disclose some bit of information about myself and then in turn Mrs. Long would disclose information about herself. This led to us feeling very certain about each other and my relationship with her daughter. Through out the entire conversation Berger's axioms and his uncertainty reduction theory held true. The more you know about someone the more certain you are about your judgements and feelings toward that individual and vice versa.
Application
One application of the uncertainty reduction theory is in the movie Rain Man. In this movie Tom Cruise is trying to be with his older brother who is autistic. The only reason he wants to be with him is to get half of the inheritance that his father left to his brother. I see Berger's axiom number three in the first interaction between Tom Cruise and his brother. "High levels of uncertainty cause increases in information-seeking behavior. As uncertainty levels decline, information-seeking behavior decreases." Tom begins to speak to his brother "Ray" and Ray doesn't respond to him. Tom gets angry and raises his voice, which signifies the rise in Tom's level of uncertainty towards his autistic brother whom he had never met. In turn when Tom yells and gets angry it makes Raymond very nervous and his levels of uncertainty shoot through the roof. This is a very good representation of Berger's axiom number three. Another one of Berger's axioms, which is evident in this particular movie, is axiom number six. "Similarities between persons reduce uncertainty, while dissimilarities produce increases in uncertainty." This is evident when the two brothers keep interacting and attempting to communicate they keep finding more and more dissimilarities between them which in turn has increased the uncertainty throughout the entire movie. Raymond's autistic behavior annoys Tom to the point of him acting crazy and yelling at Ray which raises both of their levels of uncertainty and making it harder and harder for them to live and get along comfortably together. There are many applications to Berger's theory of uncertainty reduction that apply in every day life this is just a few examples and applications of them. They are all around us every day and the way we make use of them determines the ease or complexity of the situations.
Here is another theory that is related to the uncertainty reduction theory. If you are interested in furthering your knowledge of this theory and some related ideas check out theInformation Theory
Last Modified 3/10/00
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