Relationships are very important in most people's lives. How are these relationships developed, and how do they build? When meeting new people for the first time are there some uncertainties that we can work through or reduce in order to build a healthy relationship? In 1975 two communication scholars asked these same questions. Drawn from the work of Fritz Heider in 1952, Charles R. Berger and Richard Calabrese developed a perspective they called the uncertainty reduction theory. This theory suggest that when we meet others to whom we are attracted, our need to know about them tends to make us draw inferences initially from the physical data that we observe. (Seiler, Beall). In other words the theory's core assumption is that when new people are meeting each other, they want to eliminate the uncertainty between them, and the desire to know more about the person is directly related to the amount he or she is attracted to the other.
             Berger suggests that in order to develop a relationship it is imperative to reduce uncertainties.
             The uncertainty reduction theory explains that there are three stages of initial interaction. The developmental stages are entry, personal, and exit. During the entry stage information about another's sex, age, economic or social status, and other demographic information is obtained. (Heath, Bryant) This is information that is easily observed. Information that is later gathered from conversations with the person or other who is familiar with the person can be added. Because our society has developed social rules or norms, during the entry stage of first meeting someone it is considered improper to ask the other person intimate personal questions.
             Once the communication between the people has changed, and they began to share and learn more personal information like beliefs, values, and attitudes, then they have entered the second stage, the personal phase of the relationship. A...