Social Penetration Theory: The Theory Of Social Penetration Theory

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Theory of social penetration Introduction In class, we discussed and later investigated different theories about human relationships. All these theories examined why and how people relate to each other, as well as tried to explain why they choose a particular relationship and not others. I came across with the theory of Social Penetration while reading after one of our classes. Two American sociologists Altman and Taylor developed the theory. They insist, "…relations include various levels of intimacy, exchange or degree of social penetration." That is, there are stages in people’s relationships, which go through a sort of a process of systematic and predictable trajectory. This idea sounds interesting to anybody who is struggling with developing meaningful relationships. Just thinking that relationships follow a trail to proximity, which is organized and predictable development for sure will save me from countless disappointments. Jason and Kayla Around three years ago, a friend of my parents who I will named Jason for the purposes of this assignment, lost his wife. The central aspect of the theory is the conceptualization of relational development as a process (Amada Carpenter, 2010). Specifically, Altman and Taylor detailed that relationships go through sequential stages in their development. They defined four stages (Irwin Altman, 1973): 1- Orientation stage: In this, the individuals are cautious and tentative in their interaction, which is regulated by rules and social formulas. At this stage, little information is shared. 2. Emotional exploratory exchange stage: At this stage, individuals begin to relax and are friendlier to each other. Likewise, more information is

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