Anxiety and Uncertainty Management

The anxiety and uncertainty management (AUM) theoretical research program is based on two interrelated theories designed by William Gudykunst to study intergroup communication and intercultural adaptation. Anxiety and uncertainty are the emotional and cognitive responses people experience when they interact with others who are culturally different and they must adjust to a new cultural milieu. Anxiety is often associated with feeling uneasy, tense, worried, or apprehensive about what might happen, whereas uncertainty involves the inability to make predictions about what might happen. Managing levels of anxiety and uncertainty between minimum and maximum thresholds is essential for achieving optimal outcomes of effective communication and intercultural adaptation. The AUM theories represent a major theoretical research program that informs these two important topics in intercultural communication. While the ...