Symmetry, contingency, complexity: Accommodating uncertainty in public relations theory

This article explores the potential of complexity theory as a unifying theory in public relations, where scholars have recently raised problems involving flux, uncertainty, adaptiveness, and loss of control. Complexity theory refers to the study of many individual actors who interact locally in an effort to adapt to their immediate situation, thereby forming large-scale patterns that affect an entire society, often unpredictably and uncontrollably. Five characteristics of complexity theory render it particularly useful to explore central questions in public relations, such as power and accommodation, shifting perceptions and images, and problems with public relations models’ predictiveness. These five characteristics are adaptivity, nonlinearity, coevolution, punctuated equilibrium, and self-organization. The article describes specific complexity-based methodologies and their potential for public relations studies, focusing on data- and agent-based modeling. Priscilla Murphy is associate dean for Research and Graduate Programs at the School of Communications and Theater, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA.