The Social Penetration Theory By Irwin Altman Dalmas Taylor

Communication is an essential aspect of day to day life. It allows individuals to understand others and be understood as well. Additionally, communication allows people to develop relationships and gain a deeper understanding of themselves as well as themselves. As humans continuously create and interpret messages, studying the theory of communication provides a means of understanding how communication works, what it produces, and what alters the way it works (CITATION). In this paper I will discuss how the social penetration theory explains the development of closeness in relationships. The social penetration theory was developed in 1973 by Irwin Altman Dalmas Taylor. Social penetration is the developing intimacy within a relationship†¦show more content†¦This means that certain reactions will take place in the presence of specific stimuli (CITATION). As this theory treats communication as interactional, it causes communication to be viewed as a cause and effect process. This model uses communication as tool that enables communicators to produce a desired effect. The effectiveness of an interactional model is determined by the ability to transmit a message (CITATIOn). What enables this theory to be evaluated as a successful objective theory is its relative simplicity, ability to predict future outcomes, and its ability to explain the reasons for the outcome (CITATION). Out of the six criteria that a theory must meet in order to be considered good, these are the three that I will elaborate on. What makes this theory unique is the relative simplicity that can be attributed to its onion metaphor. This metaphor suggests that humans have an outer layer that is the public and presented â€Å"Self† and increasingly deep layers that are more private and personal. â€Å"Individuals have many layers that collectively form the total personality of the individual† (CITATION FROM SECOND ARTICLE). Similar to looking at a physical onion, the outer layer is the visible layer, the same can be said of the peripheral layers of a person. This layer is visibly assessable. The outer layers act as protection. These layers protect the more vulnerable  "true self† (CITATIONShow MoreRelatedSocial Penetration Theory By Irwin Altman And Dalmas Taylor1787 Words   |  8 Pagesis. This idea is called the social penetration theory. Irwin Altman and Dalmas Taylor established the social penetration theory in 1973. They created this theory to have a better understanding of intimate relationships between two people. The social penetration theory is important to the communication process because it looks at how relationships develop and how over time relationships evolve from where they stared by self-disclosure. With the social penetration theory as the main focus and with theRead MoreSocial Penetration Theory : Crazy, Love1117 Words   |  5 PagesMaggie Decena Professor McNelis September 22nd, 2017 Application of Social Penetration Theory The film Crazy, Stupid, Love depicts the dissolution of Cal Weaver’s once perfect life. High school sweethearts living in a suburban town with steady jobs and kids, Cal and his wife Emily share the illusion of a picture-perfect love story. However, when Emily reveals her act of adultery, she asks Cal for a divorce. Cal falls into a deep depression that leads him to bask in his sorrows at singles barsRead MoreSocial Penetration Theory827 Words   |  4 PagesFounder of the theory The founders of the theory were Irwin Altman and Dalmas Taylor. Altman is a distinguished professor of psychology at the University of Utah whereby Taylor is a professor of psychology at the University of Texas, Arlington. Altman and Taylor developed this theory to provide an understanding of the closeness between two individuals. Apparently, social penetration is defined as a process that moves a relationship from non-intimate to intimate. The theory states that thisRead MoreSocial Penetration1449 Words   |  6 Pagesscholars have tried to study on how these relationships develop. Irwin Altman and Dalmas Taylor had developed a theory, social penetration, to explain how relationships are established and explain the four sequential stages humans might go through in order to achieve and/or maintain a relationship. In John Hughes The Breakfast Club, the four stages of social penetration theory are shown when five high school students from different social groups are forced to spend a Saturday together in detention,Read MoreAnalysis Of Altman And Dalmas Taylor s Social Penetration Theory1275 Words   |  6 Pageslives. This cycle of developing, cultivating, and sustaining or ending these relationships continues everyday for our entire lives, and as a result many different theories have been developed to describe just how a complete stranger can become a lifelong friend. One in particular, Iwrin Altman and Dalmas Taylor’s social penetration theory, states that â€Å"the idea that relationships become more intimate over time when partners disclose more and more information about themselves.† This break down ofRead MoreSocial Penetration Theory By Irwin Altman And Dalmas1511 Words   |  7 Pages Irwin Altman and Dalmas introduces Social Penetration theory in chapter 8 and they explain the theory as â€Å"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 phenomenonRead MoreSocial Penetration Theory And The Theory981 Words   |  4 Pages Social Penetration Theory Yunsik Jung Western Kentucky University Abstract 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 levelsRead MoreThe Theory Of Social Penetration Theory1010 Words   |  5 PagesSelected Theory: Social Penetration Theory was created by Irwin Altman, the professor emeritus of psychology at the University of Utah, and Dalmas Taylor, who was provost and professor of psychology at Lincoln University before he passed away. This theory is used to describe the way people grow closer in a â€Å"gradual and orderly fashion from superficial to intimate levels of exchange as a function of both immediate and forecasted outcomes† (Altman Taylor, 1973, pg. 96), which the auth ors of the theoryRead MoreEssay On Social Penetration Theory1328 Words   |  6 PagesSocial Penetration Theory (STP) explains the process of how relationships develop through self-disclosure. (Griffin, Ledbetter Sparks 2015) Through self-disclosure, closeness develops as the relationship continues to grow. To present Social Penetration Theory, I am choosing to write about a personal experience on how my best friend Taylor and I became close. I will be explaining on how Taylor and I developed our relationship overtime through self-disclosure and personality structure. As TaylorRead MoreThe Effects Of Inappropriate Interpersonal Communication On Health And Social Care Settings1210 Words   |  5 Pages1.3 Review methods of dealing with inappropriate interpersonal communication between individuals in health and social care settings. I am reviewing the methods how to use interpersonal communication to deal with individuals in health and social care settings. Interpersonal communication is defined as the verbal and non-verbal interaction between two interdependent people (occasionally more). This comparatively is an easy definition suggests a variety of properties. Interpersonal communication process