Communication Yearbook 26 is devoted to publishing state-of-the-art literature reviews in which authors critique and synthesize a body of communication research. This volume continues the tradition of publishing critical, integrative reviews of specific lines of research. Chapters focus on comprehending speaker meaning; understanding family communication patterns and family functioning; affection in interpersonal relationships; audience activity and passivity; the political influence of business organizations in public policy. In addition, chapters discuss emotional intelligence in organizational communication; professionalism and social responsibility in the field of public relations; climate of opinion; ideology and the study of identity in interethnic communication; technology and the physician-patient relationship; and communication across the life span. Representing media, interpersonal, intercultural, and other areas of communication, this is an important reference on current research for scholars and students in the social sciences.