Non-verbal communication in friendships and romantic relationships

Rationale

-Why is your topic important?

-How does a better understanding of your topic help (1) scholars, (2) practitioners (e.g., therapists, organizational consultants, policymakers, etc.), and/or (3) the general public?

Use standard criteria for arguing why a particular project should be undertaken. Here are a few (and you probably can think of others):

1. Social significance: The examination of the topic can provide answers to help society, culture, neighborhoods in some way. And/or researching communication can help people’s mental and physical health, save lives, and so forth.

   1. My topic (e.g., family violence) has a humanitarian feature (e.g., saves lives, etc.).

   2. My topic (e.g., work-life balance) has an applied feature (e.g., it can help people improve their work lives, their personal relationships, their self-esteem, etc.)

e.g. My topic can aid practitioners (e.g., therapists, policymakers, etc.) when making decisions for interventions and/or new policies.

1. 1. My topic affects a great number of folks. (Be sure to provide some evidence, such as statistics, for the prevalence of the issue).

1. Theoretic advancement: Indicate how examination of this topic can further a particular theory (e.g., Expectancy Violation, Uncertainty Reduction) or a metatheory (e.g., approaches that could be developmental, attributional, or systems-oriented). Please do not attempt to create your own theory for the sake of the rationale!

1. Field advancement: State how the examination of this topic can advance the study of communication (i.e., use of verbal and/or nonverbal symbols between/among people in a community that understands such symbols).

   1. My topic (e.g., anger and sadness experiences in marriage) has theoretical grounding (e.g., equity theory), and thereby advances scholars’/practitioners’ understanding of why people have certain life experiences.

1. Personal gain: Here you could indicate how the study of this topic can help individuals. You will need to explain why such personal gains are important.

   1. A greater understanding of my topic (e.g., organizational norms) can help right an injustice (e.g., women being devalued in the workplace and/or being paid less than men).

1. Avoid communication dysfunctions: One reason to study this topic is to help people use symbolic behavior over including physical, psychological, and symbolic types. Or you might argue that researching a particular topic can help social institutions (e.g., families, organizations, governments) become more functional.

1. A lack of research on the topic: It is possible that you note a lack of research in a particular area of communication. PLEASE NOTE: YOU MUST LINK THE LACK OF RESEARCH ARGUMENT TO ONE OF THE ARGUMENTS ABOVE. After all, simply because no one has looked at a particular topic does not make it important—indeed, reason could suggest that such an undertaking is not wise (e.g., human-pet conflicts).