Summary-Social Penetration Theory

Social Penetration Theory

Irwin Altman and Dalmas Taylor were the social psychologists who proposed a social penetration process that explains how relational closeness develops.

"The Social Penetration Theory is an established and familiar explanation of how closeness develops in friendships and romantic relationships."

Personality Structure: Onion

The human personality structure is analogous to a multi-layered onion. This is justified with the fact that just like an onion that when you peel an outer skin you will find another skin, then another, until you can already see its very core; humans are like this. There is a certain layer after a layer and it takes time and certain relationship development and depth until you are able to know a certain someone up to his/her deepest core.

On Relationship Development and Self Disclosure

The more a person discloses a part of himself to another person, the more the degree of their intimacy deepens. At first, they would talk about their biological data, until one person penetrates the other, more deeper information are revealed by both parties. This is because self disclosure is reciprocal and rapid(at first). On the other hand, self disclosure might slow down as soon as they reach each others' deeper layers, since there are certain factors that keep people not to easily share the deep information about themselves.

Complexity

There are times that disclosure happens as a mere way of expressing oneself and not necessarily as a way of being close or developing a relationship with someone. However, when the listener is turned off or disgusted by what is disclosed by the one talking, depenetration can be quick. This happens when your text mate/ chat mate has been "turned off" with what you have said or commented to him/her.

Keys

The social penetration theory is embedded in the previous theory, which is the expectancy violation theory. Since SPT mainly talks about how closeness develops in a certain relationship, it can not be far with the expectancy violation theory, which talks about the expectations and rewards in a certain relationship or in a communication act.

Summay-EVT

The Expectancy Violations Theory
of Judee Burgoon

Judee Burgoon generated the Expectancy Violations Theory. She defined personal space as the "invisible, variable volume of space surrounding an individual that defines the individual's preferred distance from others".

She stressed out that the size and shape of this personal space, varies depending on each person's cultural norms.

The Following are the Core Concepts of EVT as presented by Griffin:

EXPECTANCY

The author of the EVT as well as her colleagues described the term "expectancy" as somethings predicted to happen rather something wanted or desired.

Context
Begins with cultural norms. This means each culture has its own preference in terms of distance and approach of communicators. Therefore, cultural differences between communicators are very vital. For example, the distance between communicators in a certain country might be different to the cultural norm in another country. Also, context includes the setting of the conversation, whether the communication happened in a mall, school, bathroom or in a movie house.
Relationship
This includes the similarity, familiarity, liking, and relative status. Age gaps and social status of communicators also contribute in this factor.

Communicator Characteristics
These include all of the age/sex/place-of-birth and even the physical appearance of the communicator/s.

VIOLATION VALENCE

This refers to the positive or negative value we place on a specific unexpected behavior, regardless of who does it. First, humans would interpret the action/behavior then later decides whether he/she likes it or not. For example, you have this acquaintance, you are not that so close with this person, when this person talks to you about your very personal things, you would feel not comfortable since you don't have any close established relationship with this person. However, if a very close friend would do such action, there would be no negative reaction from you.

COMMUNICATOR REWARD VALENCE

Burgoon uses this term to label the results of our mental audit and likely gains and losses. The reward valence of the communicator may be in a positive(reward) or negative(punishment) form. One good example here is the one shown in the movie "How to lose a guy in 10 days", the leading man in the movie, tolerates all the violations done by the leading lady to make her fall in love with him, thus he achieved this and then got the both of them in a romantic relationship.

West's View:

West coined the term proxemics as the study of the another person's use of space. He regarded EVT as always present in non-verbal communication.

Ethical Reflection: " Is a powerful tool to develop a respect for the concerns of others and has long been recognized as an important goal of character education".

Littlejohn's View:

Key Points:

Free Will--survey and interpret

One Truth--these are norms for all communication activities

Value-neutral--how humans react when their expectations are violated.

Summary-Symbolic Interactionism

Symbolic Interactionism

In Wood's book,he discussed the following:

1. "Symbols are at the heart of communication".

Symbols are the foundation of both personal and social life. In Wood's chapter five, which focuses on the theories about symbolic activity, he emphasized the importance of symbols in the daily interactions of humans, both verbal and nonverbal.

2. George Herbert Mead

George Herbert Mead was the one who developed the Symbolic Interactionism Theory. He was greatly fascinated by the ability of humans to use symbols. His observations led him to believe that "human symbolic activities account for the distinct character of human thinking, for individual identity, and for the persistence of society through the behaviors of individuals".

Key Concepts in Symbolic Interactionism Theory

MIND

Mead believed that:

At birth humans have neither minds nor selves, he stressed that, both are acquired through continuous interaction with others. Mead defined mind as "the ability to use symbols that have common social meanings". Through the knowledge of using symbols, humans are able to share and connect ideas with fellow humans, and this makes distinction between humans and animals. On the other hand, social life and communication between people are possible only when people can understand each other and can use a common language, because language express social meanings.

"In the process of acquiring language, individuals learn the common meaning of their culture". - The real meaning of acquiring a mind.

SELF

The self doesn't really exist at birth. It is developed through interaction with others. Mead defined self as the ability to reflect on ourselves from the perspective of others. The views and convictions of us that other people conveys or communicates gives us our own self concept of ourselves.

The Concept of Looking Glass -clarifies Mead's view of the human self. I & ME "Humans have the distinctive ability to be both the subjects and objects of their experience". They are complementary, however they are not opposing.

I

I is the acting self. The I is the one that gives distinction. It is the one that makes the ME unique and not identical with other people. Characteristics: impulsive, creative, spontaneous, and generally unburned by social rules and restrictions.

ME

The ME is the part of the self that refines the impulses and actions of the I. It works as the screening agent of the self weighing what is right or wrong. It also edits and channels the creativity of the I in socially acceptable ways.

Griffin's Approach:

Construction of Social Reality:

Humans act toward people or things on the basis of the meanings they assign to those people or things.

The Source of Meaning:

Meaning arises out of the social interaction that people have with each other. Meanings are not inherent in objects; they are not pre-existent . They change upon how and where people use it.

Symbols-instruments of communication that have meanings. However, symbols could be ambiguous, meaning,- a stimulus that has a learned meaning and value for people. Symbols are the it could have more than one interpretation. Symbols are also arbitrary, or is based on random choice, rather than any reason or system.

Thought:

The process of taking the role of the other. - An individual's interpretation of symbols is modified by his/her own thought processes. As what was mentioned earlier, humans are the ones that create meanings, because meanings are not pre-existent. Therefore, meanings of symbols may vary in the different interpretations of communicators.

The Self:

Reflection in a Looking Glass The self is a function of language. Without talk (communication) there would be no self concept, because it is through our constant interaction with others that we gain ideas about ourselves (self-concept).

* The "I and Me" concept mentioned by Wood was also mentioned by Griffin. Griffin referred the I as the "subjective self" while the Me is referred as the "objective self".

Littlejohn's View:

Symbolic Interactionism-contains a core of common premises about communication and society.

In Littlejohn's book he discussed that human behavior and interaction are carried on through the use of symbols that have their distinct meanings. "All human understanding occurs by assigning meaning to experience". Just like the other authors, Littlejohn also presented the idea that it is through human interaction that humans becomes humanized. He also mentioned that experiences shaped by the meanings that arise from the use of symbols with in the social group. Also, meanings are at the heart of experience and that they are product of interaction, making communication the core of human experience.

Movie Analysis-Expectancy Violation Theory

Movie Analysis: How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days

On the Plot:

Many critics say that in any romantic comedy movie, the ending is your usual happy ever after. This is not a matter of debate since most of these romantic comedy movies are also feel-good movies. Even in the first look of the title of the movie (How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days), one can expect a rather humorous with a wacky but almost predictable ending. The story is too Hollywood. This means that the story of the movie is something like it's most likely not to happen in real life. Not that it is really impossible but because of the reasons of the two people (Andie Anderson and Benjamin Barry ) in "falling in love" were very superficial. However even if the movie is kind of draggy, it still worked in giving the viewers that feel-good feeling after watching the film.

On the Acting:

Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey were really a great tandem. Both of them were as convincing as what their roles really played. Kate Hudson made the movie funny because of her wit as Andie who is a sexy and cool chick but at the same time very emotional and quirky woman--being all of these to change the mind of Benjamin. On the other hand, Benjamin or Matthew McConaughey played a role of an ambitious advertising employee acting as a very passionate, gentle and understanding man to Andie, just to let the later fall even harder for him. The two were a fantastic team, not to mention very persuasive.

On the Movie and the Expectancy Violation Theory:

It is quite odd between two people who had just known each other for the first time to be very close and intimate with each other. This was clearly shown in the movie, when Andie and Ben met for the first time. Their act was something not usual to the Filipinos. Proxemics might have a chance to justify this. Since proxemics refer to people's use of their own personal space as a special elaboration of culture, this may explain why many Filipinos might react upon seeing the scene where Andie and Ben met for the first time. Americans and Filipinos have really big culture difference. What was depicted in the movie might be alright for many Americans and may but be for many Filipinos. The role of culture is very vital in proxemics.

What the characters have was a 10-day relationship. It was something very fast for some but something usual for some. Again this context begins with cultural norm.

Also the relationship of the two must be considered. Since what they have is a romantic relationship, it is then expected that they will be very intimate and close to each other.

However there is something we consider on a specific behavior done to us by the person we are communicating with, this is what we call violation valence. This could be negative or positive regardless of who's doing the behavior. Just like the scene when Ben fought with a huge guy in a cinema, after the jaw breaking experience, and when Andie came to him to help him get he touched the woman's breasts by his head. The violation valence Andie placed on that action or behavior was not negative. This might be because of the kind of relationship they have. However, this act of Ben might not be alright with other women.


The Expectancy Violation Theory as related to the movie, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, would be something subjective. It depends on people involved in the communication. Also, it does not only depend on the people involved but also in the context where they are moving and the culture they have been used to.