Social Penetration Theory Arizona Sate University

Social Penetration Theory Conner Farquharson Arizona Sate University For a young child, telling a secret to the person he or she likes is a big deal. But the secrets that are told are minor, probably about a favorite item or candy. Not knowing at the time but social penetration theory is going on. Information about oneself is communicated to friends, loved ones, and acquaintances on a daily basis, sometimes without knowing we are revealing personal information. As we get older we knowingly reveal information to a person that we have a connection with. Social Penetration Theory is, â€Å"The process of developing deeper intimacy with another person through mutual self-disclosure and other forms of vulnerability† (Griffin, Ledbetter, Sparks, 2015). The closer we are to an individual the more information we reveal, the greater the bond becomes. This theory is important to understand because it sets the framework for how we reveal ourselves to others and helps set up other communication theories. In the next sections we will take a closer look into the theoretical overview on social penetration theory and also, discuss the synthesis of scholarship. Theoretical Overview Social penetration theory is an objective paradigm and comes from a socio-psychological tradition. The epistemological approach is used to understand the nature/method of social penetration theory. An onion can help explain social penetration theory. Griffin et al. explains this as a