Social Penetration Theory Essay

Communication is what essentially drives the world around. Whether it is online or face-to-face, communication plays a critical role in our lives. Social penetration theory is a communication theory that deeply defines how important communication as it relates to the relationships people have with one another and how individuals build them up and make them stronger. As humans, we interact with each other on a daily basis and relationships are developed, some you may refer to as acquaintances, some friends, and others as intimate friends. This is a very complex process that we go through every day of our lives, repeating it over and over, encountering people that we may end up either knowing, or not, until the day we die. There are also people
In other words, social penetration theory is how individuals move from being strangers, to friends, or from friend, to best friend. Social penetration does not always have to involve verbal communication. It may also include nonverbal communication such as body language. This theory works through the action of self-disclosure of one another to another person to help create a deeper bond. Self-disclosure is defined simply as the purposeful process of revealing information about oneself. Applying this theory to a real life example can be easily traced back to a roommate in college. The two are living together, and are often times strangers when they first move in together. Over the course of time, however, the two talk more, find similar interests and passions, and have revealed more personal information to the other. Self-disclosure is truly at the heart of social penetration theory due to the intimacy factor that is created through revealing personal information. If roommates open up and reveal personal information to each other, more revealing of information may follow suit due to the comfort level being
The stages provide an example of what is to be expected throughout each of the four stages, however, I would be interested to see more information and research done into the stages. Relationships are all very complex and no two are going to be the same, but I would like to see the amount of time each stage takes relative to go through, on average. The data collected could be done in survey format or in an online poll as well. I think some very interesting answers would be recorded and by no means would the highest answers be the correct answers because there are no right or wrong answers in an analyzation of a relationship.

Another suggestion, one that I am really intrigued by, would be conducting a survey or poll on the predictability of different cultures, races, religions, and genders building relationships with others. This data could be very interesting to see what groups of people are willing to cross barriers and which ones are more like to stay confined within their group. Information could also be grasped at a deeper level as to possibly why they are inclined or not to talk to other groups of