Why Does Hostility Exist Between Communication & Psychology Researchers?

After researching why such a competitive notion exists between researchers in communication and psychology studies, I was able to find legitimate reasoning in my own communication course through the Annenberg School For Communication at USC.

My COMM200 (Communication As a Social Science) professor, Ken Sereno, lectured that animosity exists between the two disciplines because "most scholars in other disciplines, most prominently psychology, claim to study communication as a secondary process." Furthermore, "[communication is studied] as a means of testing [psychologists’] theories; they do not study communication as a primary discipline." Because communication is sometimes not recognized as a legitimate independent discipline, a hostile opinion is formed against psychology. Communication researchers like Gary P. Radford take the time to publish works that demean psychological principles and research compared to communication studies. The fact that "psychologists’ purpose in studying communication lacks further research and development for communication theory" is irritating and bothersome to communication researchers.

Another important point about the negative viewpoints among researchers in communication and psychology is from sociologist Stan Kaplowitz. In his publication, "The State of Social Psychology: Issues, Themes, and Controversies," he describes an extremely important point stating that "[we often] inappropriately view alternative theories as competitive rather than complimentary."

All together, the attitude towards psychologists regarding the respect of communication as a single and independent discipline should be acknowledged. Instead of using communication as a secondary discipline to test their theories, both communication and psychology should incorporate their ideas to further research and academic knowledge. The fact that opposing theories are a form of competition is ridiculous, considering the fact that the purpose of research is to understand our world. When other factors interrupt this quest for knowledge, further research is stalled and halted.