Film Analysis - Social Penetration Theory in the Breakfast Club
Social Penetration Theory in The Breakfast Club
The Social Penetration Theory, adapted by Irwin Altman and Dalmas Taylor, is based on the idea that people are layered like onions, (Griffin 133). These layers are made up by different things that hide an individual’s true self. One’s true self can include his or her hopes, fears, likes, dislikes, aspirations and other things that one thinks about. For individuals to become close, they must get past all of the facades and disclose their true selves to one another. In the movie The Breakfast Club, each of the main characters exemplifies this theory. At the beginning of the movie, characters Claire, John, Andrew, Allison, and Brian are each individuals who separate themselves from one another. At the conclusion of this movie, they are united as one group, whose fears and anxieties are known and each person’s true self is revealed. Through the interaction of the characters at the beginning of the movie and at the end, the audience sees the social penetration theory in effect. There are three aspects of the Social Penetration Theory. They are stages of development in a relationship, analysis of the rewards and cost, and the influence of reciprocity. The four stages of development are orientation, exploratory affective exchange, affective exchange, and stable exchange, (Griffin 135). In the Social Penetration Theory, Altman and Taylor make comparisons between people and onions, “...It is a depiction of the multilayered nature of personality. Peel the outer skin from an onion, and you’ll find another beneath it. Remove that layer and you’ll expose a third, and so on,” (Griffin 133). An individual’s personality, as described by Altman and Taylor, is multilayered in nature. At first, when you meet someone new, you talk to them, and soon, layer by layer, you know them. In the beginning, the conversations tend to be superficial, involving hobbies, likes, dislikes, and other trivial items, taking you
The Social Penetration Theory, adapted by Irwin Altman and Dalmas Taylor, is based on the idea that people are layered like onions, (Griffin 133). These layers are made up by different things that hide an individual’s true self. One’s true self can include his or her hopes, fears, likes, dislikes, aspirations and other things that one thinks about. For individuals to become close, they must get past all of the facades and disclose their true selves to one another. In the movie The Breakfast Club, each of the main characters exemplifies this theory. At the beginning of the movie, characters Claire, John, Andrew, Allison, and Brian are each individuals who separate themselves from one another. At the conclusion of this movie, they are united as one group, whose fears and anxieties are known and each person’s true self is revealed. Through the interaction of the characters at the beginning of the movie and at the end, the audience sees the social penetration theory in effect. There are three aspects of the Social Penetration Theory. They are stages of development in a relationship, analysis of the rewards and cost, and the influence of reciprocity. The four stages of development are orientation, exploratory affective exchange, affective exchange, and stable exchange, (Griffin 135). In the Social Penetration Theory, Altman and Taylor make comparisons between people and onions, “...It is a depiction of the multilayered nature of personality. Peel the outer skin from an onion, and you’ll find another beneath it. Remove that layer and you’ll expose a third, and so on,” (Griffin 133). An individual’s personality, as described by Altman and Taylor, is multilayered in nature. At first, when you meet someone new, you talk to them, and soon, layer by layer, you know them. In the beginning, the conversations tend to be superficial, involving hobbies, likes, dislikes, and other trivial items, taking you
Bibliography: Griffin, Em. (2003). A First Look at Communication Theory. (Fifth Ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill. Hughes, J. (Director), & Friesen, G. (Producer). (1985). The Breakfast Club [Motion picture]. United States: Universal Pictures Severin, Werner J., & Tankard, Jr., James W. (2001). Communication Theories: Origins, Methods, and Uses in the Mass Media. (Fifth Ed.). New York: Addison Wesley Longman, Inc.