The Social Penetration Theory Of Interpersonal Communication

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. â€Å"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 by self-disclosure that moves slowly and orderly, from superficial to intimate. Self-disclosure -- voluntarily communication of information about one s self to another and vice versa and based on a cost-reward model. The theory is also known as the â€Å"Onion Theory† since Altman and Taylor explained self-disclosure by comparing it to the layers of an onion that has â€Å"breadth† and â€Å"depth. Breadth includes the different superficial areas of a person†™s life like family, work, neighborhood, hobbies, community, etc. â€Å"Depth† is â€Å"the degree of disclosure in a specific area of an individual’s life†, going from the outside to de inside, from superficial relationship to an intimate relationship. According to Altmar and Tylor, people’s characters are like onions with many layers, meaning that in Interpersonal Communication people starts to self-disclose from the outer layer that represents information like physical appearance and the way a person talks. Each layer represent areas ofShow MoreRelatedSocial 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 Social Penetration Theory the Uncertain Reduction Theory Implications on the Sales Process1334 Words   |  6 PagesUncertainty reduction theory This theory comes to explain the uncertainty among people who communicate with each other and how different types of communication will help to reduce the uncertainty. As a starting point, the developers of this theory (Charles Berger and Richard Calabrese) stated that uncertainty is an unpleasant feeling, which people prefer to avoid as much as they can. 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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. 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