Self Disclosure Through Social Penetration Theory

Self-disclosure is an important part of any close relationship. Without sharing our own fears and weaknesses, we can

The first stages are contact where individuals exchange basic information and decide if the relationship is worth pursuing. In the movie the audience can see this stage when Gary starts conversation with Brooke in the game of baseball. He offers to Brooke a hot dog, but she does not accept it. Gary insists offering the bread and she does not interest in Gary. After the game, Gary invites her to a bar, but Brooke refuses one more time to him. Gary insists saying that maybe a conversation can change their lives, and then Brooke accepts the invitation. At this moment, the audience can appreciate the second stage of relationships: involvement. They will spend more time together allowing an intensification of the relationship, knowing, and learning of each other. The third stage is intimacy. It is when two people accept each other and confirm their roles. The interpersonal commitment is demonstrated in the movie when several Gary and Brooke’s pictures are played showing them kissing and holding their hands. In addition, they show their social bonding which is more in public when the Brooke’s family comes to eat at home. The principal characters show to others that they are a partner and the family can see that. The next stage

It is often said that all good things come to an end. Relationships come and go, and some mean more than others. In fact, there was even a relationship model developed by a communication researcher by the name of Mark Knapp. In his model, he goes through what seems to be presented as a smooth step transition from each stage in which a relationship eventually evolves into. As I studied this up then down ladder model, I began to realize that I ought to build up some strong calf muscles, because my relationship sure has climbed up and down a few flights of stairs. Mark Knapp believes that relationships go through multiple stages, the uphill stages being initiation, experimenting, intensifying, integrating, bonding, then relational maintenance. On the flip side, Knapp believes the descending stages to be differentiating, circumscribing, avoiding, and eventually, termination.

Nona Mitoyan COM 200 October 3, 2015 Professor Williams Interpersonal Lens Outline I. Working Definition of Lens: Whether verbal or nonverbal, interpersonal communication is the exchange of symbols between individuals. Breaking the term into two, we get “inter” and “personal,” meaning interpersonal communication is both personal and connecting between two or more communicators. II. Communication Phenomenon for Analysis: I will use an interpersonal lens to examine the progressive relationship between Lucas and Peyton in One Tree Hill.

When there is a bond between two individuals, the first overall part is the coming together stage. It is when both parties interact with one another in the process of forming a relationship, this is called Initiating. For example, the likeness of one another, their personality and what makes you like the person, it is the combination of you and the other person.

Final Paper Knapp’s Relationship Model details how relationships begin and further develop, as well as how they grow to end. Knapp has a Relationship Escalation Model, detailing the stages of “Coming Together,” as well as a Relationship Termination Model, detailing the stages of “Coming Apart” (“Knapp’s Relationship Model,” 2010). In total, Knapp outlines ten stages of relationships. Knapp’s Relationship Escalation Model has five stages.

In groups self disclosure can bring a sense of belonging among participants and it can create a sense of trust. I believe that many people just want be understood, therefore self disclosure is a good way to gain trust and create friendships. In my opinion self disclosure among participants can create a better group dynamic as there will be more cohesion among the group members. I personally noticed this in my group, I find myself knowing each members name and wanting to know more about each person in the group. I also noticed group cohesion during the AA meeting I attended. The group had a positive dynamic as the members listened to each other and self disclosed. Although intimacy can be a positive thing among groups, it can also become a problem as people have different personalities and beliefs about forming friendships. The way self disclosure might intervene in group process could be by forming groups and leaving other members feeling left out. In group discussion I noticed that several of my classmates would roll their eyes when a particular person asked

J., & Berg, J. H. (2013). Self-Disclosure: Theory, Research, and Therapy. Springer Science & Business Media. Retrieved April 17, 2016, from https://books.google.co.ke/books/about/Self_Disclosure.html?id=YbYACAAAQBAJ&redir_esc=y

They believe that “as people get to know each other, the layers get opened to reveal the core of the person” (Giri, 2009, p.192). Verbal self-disclosure is “sharing information such as personal history, preferences, attitudes, feelings, values, secrets, etc. with another person” and is noted as the main route to deep social penetration (Griffin et al., 2015, p.97). Therefore, putting your guard up when in a vulnerable situation will limit closeness between two people.

I am a very outgoing person, and seem to self-disclose information to others, on a regular basis. “To develop relationships, we must be willing to self-disclose about our personal lives” (Shelley, p. 1). Self-disclosing information helps strengthen or weaken the duos interpersonal relationship. I regret the day when I self-disclosed information to my new boyfriend.

The Social Penetration Theory interpersonal communication was proposed by the psychologists and theorists, Altman and Taylor in 1973, with the idea of offering an explanation for the closeness or intimacy that can develop between two people. “The social penetration theory states that as relationships develop, communication moves from relatively shallow, no intimate levels to deeper, more personal ones.”(Altman and Taylor in 1973.) They also proposed that this process towards closeness, is regulated by self-disclosure that moves slowly and orderly, from superficial to intimate. Self-disclosure is voluntary communication of information about one 's self to another and vice-versa and it is based on a cost-reward model. The theory is also known as the “Onion Theory” since Altman and Taylor explained self-disclosure by comparing it to the layers of an onion that has “breadth” and “depth. Breadth includes the different superficial areas of a person’s life like family, work, neighborhood, hobbies, community, etc. “Depth” is “the degree of disclosure in a specific area of an individual’s life”, going from the outside to the inside, from superficial relationship to an intimate relationship. According to Altmar and Taylor, people’s characters are like onions with many layers, meaning that in interpersonal

Social Penetration according to the book of Em Griffin is the process of developing deeper intimacy with another person through mutual self-disclosure and other forms of vulnerability. Moreover, self-disclosure is the voluntary sharing of personal history, preference, attitudes, feelings, values, secrets with another person. It can also be defined as transparency.Social Psychologists Irwin Altman and Dalmas Taylor propounded the Social Penetration Theory that explains how to develop a relational closeness to another person.

Why do some relationships progress quickly more than others? In order to understand this, relationship must be defined. According to Merriam-Webster's Dictionary, "A relationship is a type of connection existing between people that have a relation or dealing with each other." It is through the process of communication, which is the process where human beings transmit ideas, information, and attitudes to one another, that our relationships are forged. Without communication there would be no relationships involved with people. Many communication scholars have tried to study on how these relationships develop. Irwin Altman and Dalmas Taylor had developed a theory, social penetration, to explain how relationships are established and

The second stage is exploratory affective exchange. This is when commutation between these two strangers is more open and comfortable, less scripted. This is because the information that they share goes farther than just a short conversation ( Beauchamp and Baran, 2017). This will then allow the two people to then break the ice between them. If they then realize that this stage is rewarding they will then be more giving with moving forward to the next stage in Social Penetration Theory, which will be building a relationship (Smith, 2002).

In the book Messages the Communication Skills states, Johari Window of Self-Disclosure described how persons feel afraid to be rejecting or disapproval when they exposed some secrets instead they prefer to keep their secrets hidden. They can interact with others without feeling disregarding. Johari window model is an appropriate method that can be applying to achieve a better understanding and enhancing a better communication between family members, friends, coworkers, and classmates. Then, the Johari window model provides some details and how individuals perceive others. That self-disclosures it’s based on building trust, revealing important information to others and able to learn from that experiences, instead of receiving a judgment or criticized their faults. These four windows describe some areas that will assistance in personal information, emotional state, motivation whether the persons are aware or unaware, about known or unknown to themselves and able to reveal their feelings to others.