Social Penetration Theory

Social Penetration Theory

Background

 Introduced by Irwin Altman and Dalmas Taylor in 1973 with the book Social Penetration: The Development of Interpersonal Relationships. The theory asserts that as people develop relationships, communication moves from superficial to deeply personal topics. (Griffin, 2011)

 Mainly within Sociopsychological tradition – study of the individual as a social being, addressing behavior and motivation. Evolution of the theory to a more dialectic focus has brought it somewhat into the sociocultural tradition. (Littlejohn & Foss, 2011)

 Assumptions:

o Self-disclosure is at the center of all relationships

o Relationships become more intimate through self-disclosure

o Process of relational maintenance is cyclical and dialectical (Griffin, 2011)

 Onion Theory – Altman and Taylor describe self-disclosure as peeling back the layers of an onion, revealing depth and breadth. As you remove layers, you learn many different things about others, or breadth. You can also drill down through the layers of a particular area and achieve depth. (Griffin, 2011)

Social Exchange Theory

This theory was developed through the experiments and real world application of social penetration theory. Self-disclosure is based upon a risk/reward system. It assumes you will only continue to reveal more information about yourself if you feel the reward of a deeper relationship is worth the risk of exposure. (Littlejohn & Foss, 2011)

Stages of Relational Development

1. Orientation – filled with small talk and where we make first impressions, often driven by social rules.

2. Exploratory Affective Exchange – slightly deeper level of information exchanged such as likes and dislikes. Casual relationships are developed here and it is where many of our relationships stay.

3. Affective Exchange – more personal or private details are disclosed. A person feels comfortable with revealing deeper emotions in this stage.

4. Stable Exchange – disclosure of deeply intimate thoughts and feelings. Usually reserved for very close, long term relationships such as spouse or immediate family.

5. Depenetration – the risk of self-disclosure now outweighs the reward and the relationship is ended. (Griffin, 2011)

Evaluation

• Scope: Although social penetration theory does not apply to a wide range of topics, I still believe it is a good comprehensive theory. Its narrow application is in relationships but it covers every type of relationship and the entire range, from first interaction to deeply personal.

• Appropriateness: Social penetration theory can be somewhat inconsistent,