Social Penetration Theory

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

Your best and closest friends where not always your friends, at some point they were stragers. We take gradual steps toward building friends that become deeper and more intimate along the way. When we take these steps we are applying the Social Penetration Theory (SPT). SPT was developed by Irwin Alman and Dalmas Taylor and states that “the process of develping deeper intimacy with another person through mutual self-disclosure and other forms of vulnerability”(p. 97). SPT expects self-disclosure

Social Penetration Theory The Social Penetration Theory proposes the idea that as our relationships develop, communication goes from being very basic and superficial, to being more intimate and fulfilling. There are five stages in the theory, the first being the Orientation stage, which usually means small talk, and sticking to conversational norms. The Exploratory stage is when two friends reveal their opinions on things such as politics, music, and education, but most relationships do not exceed

Relationship develops in a linear and sequential movement Social penetration theory suggested that relational development is a process (Altman & Taylor, 1973; Miller K. , 2005). Four stages are defined in the original initiation of the theory according to Altman and Taylor’s book: Orientation Stage : This is the earliest stage where individuals communicate with heavy safe guard. Little information is exchanged and interactions are ruled by social bonds and regulations (Miller K. , 2005). Short and simple

In 1973 social psychologists Irwin Altman and Dalmas Taylor formulated a process, the social penetration theory, that aimed to explain how people develop and move through relationships. Their theory predicts that relationships with friends and lovers move in a “gradual and orderly fashion from superficial to intimate levels of exchange as a function of both immediate and forecast outcomes.” (Griffin, 2011, p. 97) Through gradual amounts of mutual self-disclosure people form interpersonal relationships

The social penetration theory and cost-benefit theory are applicable to most interpersonal relationships and valuable to the field of communication studies. While they are simple in concept, analyzing the way a relationship functions according to these theories is intriguing in its own right. Both theories describe interpersonal communication tendencies in a variety of settings. In the case of one of my own relationships, the social penetration theory and cost-benefit theory help explain how the

The Five Stages of Social Penetration Theory In life as a human being you will encounter many people that enter into your life and exit it as well. Some of these people at times can leave a lasting attachment with you. After the two of you having a long relationship together. In Fact, there are many types of relationship titles that you may resort to when explaining a person that is in your life to other people. These relationships names that you may use at times to describe your relationship that

For me personally, identity has always been an important aspect of my life. It is my own Social Penetration Theory in terms of the onion aspect of it – my identity has multiple layers through different stages of my life to date, it is continuously growing by the minute. There are multiple components that make up who I am, and by learning through experiences and this course I am able to get a stronger grip on not only identity as a whole, but also my own identity. The biggest component comes from

Irwin Altman and Dalmas introduces Social Penetration theory in chapter 8 and they explain the theory as “the idea that relationships become more intimate over time when partners disclose more and more information about themselves” (Littlejhon, 2002). This paper will showcase social media and how it relates to how individuals self-disclose in social penetration theory. A short history of social media and the direction it’s headed will also be included. Facebook, a platform has become a phenomenon

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. First of all, depth and breadth of penetration is revealed in