Uncertainty Reduction Theory - Critique

Critique

Uncertainty Reduction Theory has sparked much discussion in the discipline of communication. Critics have argued that reducing uncertainty is not the driving force of interaction. Michael Sunnafrank's predicted outcome value theory (1986) indicated that the actual motivation for interaction is a desire for positive relational experiences. Kellerman and Reynolds (1990) pointed out that sometimes there are high level of uncertainty in interaction that no one wants to reduce. As a result of the critique, researchers formed the Uncertainty Management theory. This theory contrasts Uncertainty Reduction Theory by identifying reduction as only one of the many actions that people take when uncertainty arises. Gudykunst points out that Uncertainty Reduction Theory was formulated to describe the actions and behaviors of middle-class, white strangers in the United States. This is the demographic in the studies Berger and Calabrese used to develop the theory. Another issue is the scope of the axioms and theorems. If a particular theorem is disproved, it destroys the axiological base upon which it rests.