Communication is the process of sending and receiving messages through verbal and nonverbal channels for the purpose of creating shared meaning. There are many concepts and theories of communication that can be found everywhere. There are copious concepts and theories of communication that correlate with college athletes. Universities recruit athletes that come from across the world with different backgrounds, in essence effecting the way they communicate to other athletes on their team. One concept of communication that stands out in particular is the Uncertainty Reduction Theory. Uncertainty Reduction Theory is when athletes try to develop and maintain relationships with one another. Uncertainty Reduction Theory is a major concept for college athletes because we want to get to know and develop a stable, cohesive team with one another.
Uncertainty Reduction Theory can be defined as…show more content… Incentives are, “motivation to reduce uncertainty based on likely reward” (Beauchamp, and Baran 121). When athletes engage in their first encounter with another athlete, they perceive that the other might be worth staying in touch. For an example, using disinhibition search, you could observe another athlete at an orientation event to see if he or she could be a good roommate fit. Deviance, id the “motivation to reduce uncertainty if another acts in unexpected ways or violates expected rules and norms” (Beauchamp, and Baran 121). An athlete could be motivated to try harder at practice if another athlete acts in an unexpected way or violates the team rules. An athlete could be motivated to make sure he or she puts out a positive image towards the coach.
Daena Goldsmith stated in an article that “Uncertainty Reduction Theory was formulated to explain relationships between the frequency of communication behaviors, levels of uncertainty, and level of relational qualities.” (Goldsmith
