Communication Skill

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Constructivism: A General Theory of Communication Skill

Brant R. Burleson
Purdue University

INTRODUCTION
This chapter is about communication skills and one particular theory of these skills— constructivism. As you’ve probably discovered in your reading of this book, communication is a broad term that encompasses lots of different things. So, I will begin by presenting some examples of what I mean by “more and less skilled communication.”
Consider two young adults, each of whom is trying to comfort a friend who has recently been “dumped” by a long-term dating partner:
Mary:

Ben broke up with you? He’s an idiot! But, this isn’t the end of the world, you know. I mean, it’s not the worst thing that could happen to you, and to be honest,
I think you’ll be better off without Ben. Anyway, there are tons of cute guys on this campus, you know, lots of fish in the sea. You just gotta get out there and catch another one! Keep in mind that no guy is worth getting all worked up about. I mean, it’s just not that big a deal, not at this point in life. You can do a lot better than Ben. Just remember that Ben isn’t worth any heartache and you’ll stop being so depressed about the whole thing.
Michael: Barb broke up with you? Oh man! I’m really sorry; I know you must be hurting right now. Do you want to talk about it? You were together a long time and were really involved with her, so you must have some real heartache. This just sucks;
I’m really sorry, man. The same thing happened to me last year, and I remember how rotten it makes you feel. It’s especially tough when it’s sudden like that. It’s probably gonna take some time to work through it—after all, breaking up is a really hard thing. I know it may not mean very much right now, but keep in mind

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that you’ve got some good friends here—people who really care

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