Social Penetration Theory And Uncertainty Reduction Theory

Knapp, M. L., Vangelisti, A. L. (2005). Interpersonal Communication and HumanRelationships. (5th ed.) Boston: Pearson.

munication. 500 Days of Summer, which is one famous movie, we can recognize some important communication theory. In this paper, I would like to focus on the social penetration theory revealed in 500 Days of Summer. In this movie, some essential perspectives of penetration theory are revealed: depth and breadth of penetration, stages of the penetration theory, and verbal and non-verbal communication. In this essay, I am going to discuss these three characteristics revealed in the movie, 500 Days of Summer with my observations.

Keywords: Interpersonal communication: mediated communication-non mediated communication- social network sites SNSs bonding ties - interpersonal communication theories- social theories.

How can interpersonal communication skills quickly create a best-friend relationship between two complete strangers? Not possible, you say? I know for a fact that this is conceivable, because I am one of the strangers. Mark Knapp’s Relational Escalation Model illuminates how interpersonal communication skills construct a relationship development between two complete strangers, which enables them to become best friends- (at least for this semester). Initially, Courtney and I were both enrolled in 2 of the same courses at the University of Houston Downtown, in the Commerce Building. We saw each other on Tuesday mornings, in Public Speaking class. Latter in the morning, we had the same Interpersonal Communication class. Both of us are pursuing a degree in Communication Studies, therefore taking the same classes

Uncertainty Reduction Theory is a socio mental conventional hypothesis. It fundamentally addresses the procedure of how we pick up learning of others. The hypothesis additionally indicates how we as individuals are with uncomfortable circumstances, for example, when we experience outsiders. Charles Berger states that correspondence is utilized to pick up learning. It clarifies and foresee our collaborations with others (Floyd 287). At the point when individuals meet, their key concern is to lessen Uncertainty about each other and their relationship, for example, verbal yield, nonverbal warmth, self-divulgence, closeness, and shared correspondence systems builds, vulnerability abatements and the other way around. Data looking for and correspondence are decidedly associated with vulnerability. (Griffin 20 ). Behavioral and psychological are the two branches of this hypothesis. Behavioral vulnerability is the measure of Uncertainty to how individuals will act and psychological is the level

In 1992 Joseph Walther developed the idea of social information processing which is an interpersonal communication theory that describes how individuals establish relationships with one another through a computer-mediated environment and how they can progress and manage the relationships while using an online medium or channel (Van Der Heide, & Walther, 2009). Social information processing theory can be applied to various forms of media such as computers, phones, videogames, and television. The uses of these applications have different purposes. For instance online

All human relationships pose communication challenges. Attempting to resolve the key cognitive and behavioral obstacles with initial encounters, Professor Charles Burger and a colleague, Richard Calabrese, founded URT in 1975. The theory’s key principle posits that “…during initial interactions, our lack of knowledge about another person causes us to be uneasy or uncomfortable…therefore…[we seek] to find ways to reduce…uncertainty [and increase predictability].”

In a young person’s life, it is essential to meet and interact with different people. These communications can be good for networking, gaining wisdom and even making deeper, personal connections. First impressions are everything. Thus, if an individual is perceived well the interaction will go right and if a bad impression is made, things will go left. These negative interactions could stop things from blossoming and hinder the good that could have come from the situation. But, people know. People can see things about another person that they cannot see within themselves. We’ve all met that one person in life who has won us over by doing one thing or another, and that thing,

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

It has had a huge impact on the study of interpersonal communication and many other communication fields. Yet it does have its criticisms. Many state that the assumptions made by the theory are too broad making it easy to be disproven. An example is that many scholars do not contribute uncertainty reduction the main motivating factor in initiating conversation. Also the demographics of the people observed in the studying of this theory was very limited, mostly only white middle-class individuals, making it difficult to apply to all interactions between all individuals. These factors all contribute in weakening the theory in the eyes of most scholars. (communication studies,

Throughout this semester in communications I have learned a lot about myself, how to deal with others, relationships, and more. There were some lessons that stood out to me the most, and that I thought about after class. The first was in chapter 3 about interpersonal communication and the self. During this chapter, we took a piece of paper and put four people that we knew down. We chose someone who we were just getting to know, and then others that we knew very well or that were very close to us. In this lesson, we were discussing the social penetration theory. The first step is the breadth which is a volunteered amount of information that we tell someone as subjects are being discussed. The second step is depth which is when we began to go deeper into personal information. The four people that I chose were a girl I had just met at work, my sister, my dad, and my boyfriend. After completing the circles and filling in the amount of information that I have covered with them, the girl I work with had the least, and my sister had the most filled in to the core. After completing this lesson, I looked at my paper and realized that almost everyone was more filled in to the core than my relationship with my father. This lesson struck a major cord with me because I never realized how surface level my relationship with my dad was until talking about this lesson. I knew that my father and I were not that close to begin with, but I never knew why. After this lesson, I understood that my

The Social Penetration theory theorizes how the closeness in relationships can be formed through several ways of self-disclosure. This theory also states that we live in a world that people are constantly asking “ what is in this for me.” This theory compares the human self to that of an onion. We have several layers to our self that can be peeled back a layer at a time. The most obvious details about our self such as gender, hair color etc. can be found on the top. But as you peel back the layers you get into subjects of a more sensitive and deeper meaning. In order to determine if communicating can reward you positively you must engage in two self-disclosure channels, which are depth and breadth. Both of these self-disclosure tactics allow for a stronger relationship development. Breadth is quantity of subjects you talk about; these

Irwin Altman and Dalmas Taylor originally created the Social Penetration Theory and the theory deals with the ways in which relationships develop and progress. It explains how communication enriches the relationship of two or more individuals. The theory states that closeness develops if communication begins at relatively shallow non-intimate levels and moves in gradual and orderly fashion to deeper more personal levels. The theory proposes that relationships get more intimate over time when people disclose more information about themselves. In Social Penetration theory, it is the case and is quite handy in explaining on how relationships are based on its breadth and depth. Breadth is the array or variety of topics that have been incorporated into individuals ' lives (Altman, 1973). The deeper you cut through the onion, the more smelly or tasty or painful it is to bear. Personality is like a multilayered onion, having the public self-height, weight, and gender on the outer and the private self-values, self-concept, deep emotions on the core. Each opinion, belief, prejudice, and obsession is layered around and within the individual (Taylor, 1987). This is an analogy of how onion 's multilayered skin is our different nature of personality, which needed to be peeled off to eventually show our true colors, may that be our deep dark secret or our unexpected talent. This paper will also include,

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

There are many factors that play a part in the making of our interpersonal relations. In a broad spectrum those factors are proximity, affect and emotions, reinforcement, similarity, and self-disclosure (Psychology 7th ed.). Through Pearson’s Psychology textbook and the wide array of resources on the internet a variety of information was gathered about the afield, interpersonal relation, of general psychology. This topic stands out because it seems so natural throughout our lives to meet new people and interact with them. With some we may get along very well while with others we have no interest in being close with.