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Communication Theory

Introduction

In this paper, we will discuss a communication theory in detail. We will first provide with a situation which relates to the theory and then will present the literature review on the theory and its implications to the situation. This paper will discuss the social penetration theory which is one of the most important types of the communication theory.

Situation

There were two friends, Pete and John, who were very close and have known each other since last two years. Their friendship was just like many boys who hang out together and make fun of each other and also of other people together. They enjoyed with each other a lot. A few months ago, Pete started dating a girl, named Jen. After a couple of days, he found himself falling in love with her and the relationship started between them when he disclosed his likeness to her. On the other hand, since Pete and John were good friends; at times they considered each other their best friends, therefore, Pete wished many times to tell about his relationship to him. However, there was something which stopped him from this. Although, they were many good friends, they have never had such kind of conversation between them. The other fact was that he was afraid of the John's reaction to this. He might had made fun of him or blackmailed him emotionally. That is why Pete was having hesitation in sharing this secret with his friend.

One more thing he was worried of was that if he told John about his relationship status, then it would be impossible for him to hide anything regarding his relationship in the future as they would start talking about this frequently.

After realizing all of these facts, he became more careful on not to expose his relationship. We can apply the social penetration theory to this situation as this theory also relates to the above kind of situations in which a person or group of people may expose their personal details to other person or group of people by looking to the fact that how close they are to each other (Cragan & Shields, 1998). According to this theory, it can be said that the closeness Pete and John may achieve in their relationship will limit to a certain level due to Pete's cautious attitude towards John.

Communication Theory and Literature Review

The theory which we have chosen for the above given situation is the social penetration theory.

The theory was developed by two psychologists, Irwin Altman and Dalmas Taylor, who provided the understanding of the intimacy between two persons. The social penetration theory is derived through the study on intercultural communication by concentrating on the relationships on interpersonal communication. The theory describes relationships between people which are identified by sharing and disclosing the personal information which is important to promote and facilitate the relationships on an interpersonal communication level (Altman & Taylor 1973, 90).

This theory is based on the processes of creating an intense intimate relationship ...