The seven traditions of communication theory as a field provides a taxonomy of the different schools of communication theory that underpin communication research. The purpose of this paper was to explore and analyze the intricate assumptions and features of each tradition probing on complementarities, disagreements, and tensions of the different theories within dialogic-dialectical dimensions of constitutive communication. As a theoretical paper, the methodology comprised largely of secondary data carefully read and analyzed with situational examples illuminating relational insights of the different traditions. Results indicated that the traditions of communication theory as overarching knowledge structures create a robust understanding of the social meanings in communication foregrounding communication research.   

communication theory as a field

rhetoric

phenomenology

critical discourse

constitutive communication