One of the field's most respected scholars advances a dialogic perspective on communication in personal and familial relationships, presenting the next iteration of relational dialectics theory (RDT)."This is an excellent book and moves one of the major theories in the social sciences forward in very innovative ways. Indeed, this book extends beyond RDT by addressing limitations in the family, interpersonal, and personal relationships literature. I believe this book will prompt many discussions among theorists and researchers in those areas and has the potential to provide exciting new directions in the study of relationships." -Glen H. Stamp, Ball State University"Leslie A. Baxter is offering up something here that is desperately needed and fills a big hole for those who adopt RDT as their theoretical framework. . . . I found the conceptual content of the book to be clear, compelling, and provoking. . . . The chapter on contrapuntal analysis is the only one of its kind." -Melissa Wood Alemán, James Madison UniversityVoicing Relationships presents a dialogic perspective on relating, inspired by the dialogism work of the Russian theorist of literature and culture, Mikhail Bakhtin. Written by Leslie A. Baxter, one of the theory's originators, this groundbreaking book presents the next iteration of the theory, along with a methodological primer for contrapuntal analysis that includes guiding readers through a sample analysis.Developing a rich palette of dialogic concepts useful in the study of interpersonal communication, the book's central argument is that meaning making emerges from the clash of competing systems of meaning, or discourses. Relationship communication is embedded in culture, history, difference, and conceptions of the ideal. In addition, the book gives us a method by which to study communication dialogically-contrapuntal analysis.Key FeaturesCenters communication at the heart of relationships with an interdisciplinary focus on communication from fields such as psychology, social work, and sociologyOffers an up-to-date distillation of two decades of relevant research to organize major findings and issuesMoves scholars and students beyond simplistic uses of relational dialectics or using the dialectical pairs in overly-simplistic "cookie cutter" waysProvides scholars and students with guidance in using RDT to guide their own researchIntended AudienceVoicing Relationships is ideal for use in a wide range of courses, such as Interpersonal Communication; Family Studies; Couples, Marriage, and Family; and Counseling.

Preface1. Introduction Evaluation of RDT as a Theory Reworkings: Alternative Framings of Interpersonal Communication Overview of the Chapters2. Mikhail Bakhtin, Dialogism, and RDT Bakhtin's Life and Selected Key Works Bakhtin's Dialogism 1919-1924 Bakhtin's Dialogism Post-1924 Locating Bakhtin's Theory of Dialogism in Communication Research Locating RDT in Bakhtin's Dialogism3. Discursive Struggles of Culture The Utterance Chain Distal Already-Spokens of Culture The Discursive Struggle of Integration The Discursive Struggle of Expression Conclusion4. Discursive Struggles of Relational History, Otherness, and Normative Evaluation The Proximal Already-Spoken: Discursive Struggles of Relational History The Proximal Not-Yet-Spoken: Discursive Struggles of Otherness The Distal Not-Yet-Spoken: Discursive Struggles of Normative Evaluation Conclusion5. Centripetal-Centrifugal Struggle Foregrounding Power in Centripetal-Centrifugal Struggle The Interplay of Discourses Communication Genres of Discursive Struggle Conclusion6. Doing Contrapuntal Analysis Selecting Texts in Contrapuntal Analysis Identifying Competing Discourses Identifying the Interplay of Competing Discourses A Sample Contrapuntal Analysis: A "Dear Birth Mother" Letter ConclusionReferencesIndexAbout the Author