The relationship between uncertainty and information has long been at the forefront of the social scientific study of human behavior. The last decade has seen increased attention among communication scholars to the information-management process. The result has been significant widening of ideological lenses and an impressive growth of knowledge. However, a review of the literature shows that there is the need for a framework that integrates and extends these efforts. We advance the theory of motivated information-management to fill that need. The theory proposes a 3-phase process of information-management in interpersonal encounters, emphasizes the role of efficacy, and brings attention to the interactive nature of information-management in this context. We explicate the theory's propositional structure and present a graphical model intended to capture some of the overarching principles detailed in that structure.

Research on expectation violations in relationships has adopted a conceptual framework of violations that constrains our understanding of the role that unexpected behaviors play in relationships. First, the relational literature has generally studied extreme and highly salient violations in relationships. Second, much of the research on relationship violations has considered only negatively valenced behaviors. Third, violations have almost universally been assumed to increase uncertainty states. Finally, the available evidence about violations in relationship has been descriptive, rather than based on theoretical foundations. In order to address these four concerns, three studies of violations in relationships were conducted. The results (i) provide a typology of expectation violations in close relationships, (ii) confirm that relationship violations vary in intensity, valence and effect on uncertainty, and (iii) support the theoretical logic discussed in Afifi & Burgoon (1996) to predict the relationship outcomes of expectation violations.

Uncertainty Reduction Theory (URT) proposes that individuals have a need to reduce uncertainty and that elevated levels of uncertainty are associated with relational dissatisfaction. Research on cross‐sex friendships suggests that these relationships may be characterized by elevated levels of uncertainty and topic avoidance. This investigation addresses the role of uncertainty as a theoretical construct that may be useful for explaining behavior in cross‐sex friendships. Specifically, we address the relationship between uncertainty and topic avoidance, and compare cross‐sex friendships and dating relationships on these variables. The results significantly extend past research on cross‐sex friendships and suggest that uncertainty may often be tolerated in cases where the expected information is undesirable.

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