Public Relations

Abstract

RELATIONS has, for reasons not that obvious, been neglected in terms of theoretical conceptualization in the study of communication phenomena. Though the field has seen a number of text books and articles written on public relations, attempts to put public relations in conceptual theoretical perspectives have been limited. The need therefore is to elevate the study of public relations to higher theoretical levels, which could also benefit industry eventually. In this article Lewin's field theory, and in particular his topology of the inner per- son has been put forward as a focus domain of how to conceptualize public relations in an organizational context. Public relations is playing the mediating role between individual and individual, organization and individual as well as organization and organization. Lewin's field theory, as such, provides the communicologist with exploratory alter- natives to the study of public relations.

Keywords

• Public Relations
• communication phenomena
• theoretical conceptualization
• organizational context