It is often said communication is key to success. This success can come through a job, your relationships, friendships, etc. Communication is how we communicate with people and ourselves so that people can get a better understanding of the topic. There are various topic to discuss under the umbrella of communication, and all its importance. I chose to talk about the Social Penetration Theory, which is a communication theory about how relationships develop. Through my research I have found how it influenced other studies, it is important to our daily lives, and have discovered my own experience through it.
Social Penetration Theory states that, “as relationships develop, communication moves from relatively shallow, nonintimate levels to deeper,
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As the relationship keeps progressing and becomes deeper, the relationship may become intimate, you may feel as though you can predict what the others response will be (Smith, n.d.). Disclosure of information of oneself was something both theorists highlighted in their studies (“Social Penetration”, 2012). Disclosure makes something secret or new known, therefore discovering a person’s most inner self. Altman and Taylor described a relationship as layers of an onion (Berg, n.d.). Peeling of these layers represented: first layer being the superficial information obtained by each person-small talk. Furthermore as each layer is peeled more intimate and deep information is acquired, as the two people are disclosing information about one another, ultimately exposing the core of one’s self. Altman and Taylor came up with 5 stages to additionally outline this process (“Social Penetration”, 2015). 1st stage is the Orientation stage, this is where the small talk begins, social norms are followed, and no personal information is revealed. 2nd stage is Exploratory affective stage, where some personal information is exposed- expressing certain topics of opinion are discussed such as politics, but deep …show more content…
I found myself comparing the steps and the research to my own life. I can personally say that I completely agree with this theory and I recognized the steps, because I believe I’ve taken them in relationships/friendships. I can imagine a friendship I had that began with the small talk which later led into more serious discussions, sharing secrets and personal information, and eventually became very close and personal with a friend. The last stage unfortunately I found to be very true as well. When the relationship has been drove past the point where the costs of the friendship, and the information you have shared, outweighs the benefits is too real. When situations happen that because you to cut off disclosure with a person, the relationship is then terminated. I believe that this theory is true, and have learned we go meet so many people and only let few in, in giving them full
The intensifying stage of the relationship is described as becoming less formal, euphoric, and revealing even juicy information about each other which deepens the relationship even further (Alder, pg 289). For example, I remember my car
Many movies have correlation that could be found by anybody even if the correlation itself may differ per person. As for interpersonal communication, many of these examples could be found in the movie, Mrs. Doubtfire. Quick summary of the movie is that the setting takes place in San Francisco, California (“Plot Summary”). The story runs through Daniel Hillard’s perspective of his life, and he is a talented voice actor who manages and is capable of playing several roles. However, he loses his job when he disagrees with the show which had inappropriate content for the young children. This is only the beginning of the movie, and the viewers should already be convinced how much he cares for the children at this point. Probably due to some feelings
The Social Penetration model demonstrated two way in which communication can be more or less disclosing. The model is like an onion with layers. The first dimension is known as breadth, which is the range of the subjects being discussed, which with an onion as demonstration would be the outer layers. Second is depth, the depth level is significant and more central to ourselves, In the onion this would be the inner and core. The inner and core layers are the things with most private and significant to us. Thus, sharing information from our depth may require greater risk taking. The information from this dimension of self is typically known by and held in confidence by only a few people. Due to the fact
This theory is a way to explain the ever-changing network of social relationships that are around us in our lives. This could include social media online. Toni Antonucci says that convoy relationships protect and shape individuals by challenges, disappointments, sharing of experiences in life, and success. If you were to look at the posts that are done by individuals on social media you would see that they are relaying information that has happened to them during specific times in their life. They could be posting these in order to receive help, encouragement, or just to feel like someone is
There are several theories based on interpersonal communication that can be seen in various forms of entertainment, as well as real life experiences. You can see the social penetration theory in the bond that Maleficent and Aurora formed through the time they spent together. The communication privacy management theory can be shown in The Walking Dead as the main character asks newcomers three questions in order to determine who he can trust, and who he can’t trust. Glamour Magazine’s article about abusive relationships shows The Fundamental Interpersonal Relations Orientation theory as it describes the reasons why the women left their toxic relationships. And finally, my personal experience with an old friend can represent the cost benefit/social exchange theory by the way our relationship costed me more than it benefited me. Communication theories are distinct in our every day lives, you just have to find
This classic love story describes how people can change once they interact with other people. Moreover, this is an example of how human beings in general need interaction to be normal functioning citizens of society. Having relationships, can make a person feel better about him and can possibly revolutionize or emerge a personality that was quiescent due to lack of interaction. This video demonstrates many facets of interpersonal communication.
People who are in an interpersonal relationship share the same common goals and objectives. They do respect each other even regarding giving out opinions and views hence transparency play a very significant role (Meeks, Brenda, Hendrick and Hendrick 752).
Throughout the semester, we have studied numerous communication theories. Their purpose is to help understand exactly what happens when we interact with others. We might not necessarily agree with all of the theories, but the idea is to develop tools to evaluate situations we may encounter. Often, when the theories are explained in the readings or lecture, it is beneficial to apply the concepts to a "real life" situation. Using this approach, I will use a situation that many of us have faced, or will face, and analyze it according to a particular communication theory.
This theory has been subject to many articles and studies in the communication and social departments. Indeed, studying this theory can help us understanding human relations in interpersonal communication. Each of us has been one day confronted to uncertainty, whereas in initial encounters, or moving to a new a new place, or beginning a new work.
I would like to think of her theory as something that I can relate to. When I tell myself that everything is okay and everything is as it should be, I feel better about stressful situations that come up in my
Social Learning Theory is the progression that happens in the course of watching the punishment of others and by deciding if such activity is important enough to replicate (Wallace, n.d.) Fundamentally, this idea supports that individuals discover by examining others. In the 1930s, the Social discovering idea was evolved by Edwin Sutherland, Robert Burgess, Ronald L. Akers, and Daniel Glaser. This group of theorists evolved the discovering idea by distinguishing examples of criminalistic demeanor and the values that escorted these lawless persons, the way in which they dwelled and broadcast they called differential association (Schmalleger, 2012.) Albert Bandura is another theorist that has aided in the development of the idea. Bandura's work put the focus on reciprocal determinism, which focuses on how a person’s behavior, natural environment, and individual features all reciprocally leverage each other. ("Learning- Theories.com", 2012). Bandura evolved a form that involved the following steps. 1. Attention: In order for an individual to discover, they must be adept to pay vigil...
...; With the use of applying this theory to an episode as a demonstration, an application, and then an explanation, it is easy to see how the Social Exchange theory is related to everyday situations. Not only can the theory be applied to amorous relationships, but to that of friendships. The utility of the theory is seen in just about every type of interaction and is key to better understanding why relationships, friendships, or any mutual interaction, for that matter, turn out being costly or rewarding.
In interpersonal communication there are many theories that are similar yet different in many ways. The theories can be combined to describe people and how those people interact and communicate with each other. Many of these theories help explain how people in society form impressions of others, how they maintain these impressions, why people interact with certain people in society, and how people will use these impressions that they have formed later on in life. These theories also help people to better understand themselves, to better understand interpersonal communication, and to better understand people in general. There are two theories in interpersonal communication that, despite their differences, can go hand in hand. The first is interaction adaptation theory and the second is emotional contagion theory. These two theories’ similarities and differences and their relevance to my everyday life will be discussed in this paper. These two theories are very important in understanding how people interact with others and why people do the things they do sometimes.
Theiss, J.A., & Solomon, D.H. (2008). Parsing the mechanisms that increase relational intimacy: the effects of uncertainty amount, open communication about uncertainty, and the reduction of uncertainty. Human Communication Research, 34(4), 625-654. doi: 10.1111/j.1468-2958.2008.00335.x
The purpose of this literary analysis is to determine if social networks are helpful or harmful to relationships. As social networking evolves, different aspects of communication suffer. Such as the social penetration theory, which “describes people as onions with several layers of information”. pressed tightly together in the cuff. The outermost layer consists of the kind of information you would get.