Social Penetration Theory Research Paper

Devin Golden
3 November 2014
Comm. Theory
Professor McClanahan

Social Penetration Theory

Social Penetration theory, is something we have used in our everyday lives. The founders of Social Penetration theory, were Irwin Altman, and Dalmas Taylor. (Griffin 114) Altman was a professor of psychology at the University of Utah, and like his counterpart, Taylor was a professor of psychology at the University of Texas in Arlington. They developed this theory to understand the closeness between two individuals. (Griffin 114) Our book, uses the example of onions to explain social penetration. (Griffin 115) The outer layer, is the biographical data of a person, or their outside appearance. (Griffin 115) As they go down each layer, it tells how in-depth a person is. Getting back to Altman, and Taylor though, they found that relationships develop into four stages of self disclosure.
The first stage being, orientation, which is normally between two strangers.
Nothing specific or deep is shared between the people. This stage is basically, when two people first meet and are getting to know each other. The interaction is more of getting to know the basics about the person. (Comm. Studies) Next stage is the exploratory affective stage. Communicators begin to reveal more about themselves, such as their opinions concerning politics and sports teams. Deeply personal information is withheld. Casual friendships develop at this stage, and most relationships stay at this level. (Comm. Studies) Then begins the affective stage, which is where things in a relationship become more serious. Communicators, or the people in the relationship, talk about personal matters, that they normally would not share with other people. This is the stage when a romantic relationship begins to develop. At the last stage, which is depenetration stage, is when the two parties determine the cost and rewards in the relationship. (Griffin
115) Getting into social penetration more thoroughly now, it is defined in our book as, The process of developing deeper intimacy with another person through mutual self-disclosure and other forms of vulnerability. (Griffin 114) Social Penetration theory asserts that as relationships develop people communication from superficial to deeply personal topics, slowing penetrating the communicators’ public persona to reach their core personality or sense of self. Social Penetration, described by Professor McClanahan herself, is considered to be cyclical and dialectical. All relationships, even just normal friendships, have ebbs and flows, or ups in downs. When the participants learn more and more about each other, it does not mean that the relationship automatically gets better and easier. The participants in the relationship have to work the ups and downs that they will go through in this relationship while they learn more about the person throughout the relationship. It is normal in a relationship, for it to be very open and sharing, but then be where the individuals need their own personal space. It deals with the ups and downs of a traditional relationship. It is up to the individuals to deal with these ups and downs. Social penetration theory shows us the normal path of a relationship, that most do follow. I can speak from personal experience. What happens in a relationship, though, is meant for the two parties in the relationship to work through these obsticals together in order to come out stronger, as people, and in their relationship as a whole.

Citations page:
Griffin, Em. A First Look At Communication Theory. New York, NY. The McGraw Hill Companies. 2012. Print
McClanahan, A. 10/6/2014. Social Penetration Theory. Analysis of Communication Theory. East Stroudsburg University, East Stroudsburg, PA.

"Social Penetration Theory." Communication Studies. Web. 2 Nov. 2014. Website.