Maintaining Black Marriage: Individual, Interpersonal, and Contextual Dynamics moves beyond the usual demographics in the study of Black marriage to focus on the communication that sustains it. Using original data and secondary research, Marianne Dainton provides the story of Black marriage success and the contexts and communication that contribute to that success. A central feature of this book is the inclusion of Black voices; that is, in addition to original quantitative research on the topic, qualitative data draws on the experiences and opinions of a group of married Black women and married Black men in order to augment, explain, challenge, and reflect the scholarly literature.

Now in its fifth edition, Applying Communication Theory for Professional Life is the first communication theory textbook to provide practical material for career-oriented students. Featuring new case studies, updated examples, and the latest research, authors Marianne Dainton and Elaine D. Zelley introduce communication theory in a way that helps students understand its importance to careers in communication and business. Real-world case studies within each chapters are designed for in-class use to illustrate the application of theory in a variety of professional settings. The Fifth edition features eight new theories, a new chapter on theories of strategic communication, and expanded discussions of mediated communication theories.

Communication and Relationship Maintenance provides readers with a comprehensive, dynamic examination of relationship maintenance across a variety of relational contexts. Informed by contemporary research and literature in communication, psychology, and sociology, this text introduces the study of relationship maintenance, highlights current issues and debates, and provides insight as to the future of the discipline. Each chapter focuses on a particular relationship type and emphasizes a concept that influences its maintenance. For each relationship, authors Marianne Dainton and Scott A. Myers explore critical theories used to understand the maintenance process for the relationship and illuminate its unique features, the maintenance behaviors typically applied in the relationship, and the significant influences on the use of maintenance activities for that particular type. Relational contexts covered include opposite-sex romantic relationships, same-sex romantic relationships, friendships, family relationships, and workplace relationships. Additional chapters examine cultural variations on the maintenance process, the role of mediated communication on relationship maintenance, and the future of scholarly study within the discipline. Communication and Relationship Maintenance is well suited for advanced undergraduate and graduate and courses in relational and interpersonal communication.

Relational maintenance provides a rallying point for those seeking to discover the behaviors that individuals utilize to sustain their personal relationships. Theoretical models, research programs, and specific studies have examined how people in a variety of close relationships choose to define and maintain those relationships. In addition, relational maintenance turns our attention to communicative processes that help people sustain their close relationships.
In this collection, editors Daniel J. Canary and Marianne Dainton focus on the communicative processes critical to the maintenance and enhancement of personal relationships. The volume considers variations in maintaining different types of personal relationships; structural constraints on relationship maintenance; and cultural variations in relational maintenance. Contributions to the volume cover a broad range of relational types, including romantic relationships, family relationships, long-distance relationships, workplace relationships, and Gay and Lesbian relationships, among others.
"Maintaining Relationships Through Communication: Relational, Contextual, and Cultural Variations" synthesizes current research in relationship maintenance, emphasizes the ways that behaviors vary in their maintenance functions across relational contexts, discusses alternative explanations for maintaining relationships, and presents avenues for future research. As such, it is intended for students and scholars studying interpersonal communication and personal relationships.