Page 98 - DLIS406_ACADEMIC_LIBRARY_SYSTEM

Unit 9: Entrepreneurship and Interpersonal Communication

Episode context: This context simply refers to a specific event in which the communicative act Notes
is taking place.
Self-concept context: This context involves one’s sense of self, or an individual’s personal ‘definition’
of him/herself.
Archetype context: This context is essentially one’s image of what his or her belief consists of
regarding general truths within communicative exchanges.
Furthermore, Pearce and Cronen believe that these specific contexts exist in a hierarchical
fashion. This theory assumes that the bottom level of this hierarchy consists of the communicative
act. Next, the hierarchy exists within the relationship context, then the episode context, followed
by the self-concept context, and finally the archetype context.

Social Penetration Theory

Oftentimes, when a relationship begins to develop, it is customary for the individuals within
the relationship to undergo a process of self-disclosure. Self disclosure is “sharing information
with others that they would not normally know or discover. Self-disclosure involves risk and
vulnerability on the part of the person sharing the information”. The reason that self disclosure
is labeled as risky is because oftentimes, individuals undergo a sense of uncertainty and
susceptibility in revealing personal information that has the possibility of being judged in a
negative way by the receiver. Hence the reason that face-to-face communication must evolve
in stages when an initial relationship develops.

Notes There are four different stages that social penetration theory encompasses. These
include the orientation, exploratory affective exchange, affective exchange, and
stable exchange.

Orientation stage: Within the orientation stage, individuals exchange very little amounts of
information and they are very cautious in their interactions.
Exploratory affective stage: Next, in the exploratory affective stage, individuals become somewhat
friendlier and relaxed with their communication styles.
Affective exchange: In the third stage, the affective exchange, there is a high amount of open
communication between individuals and typically these relationships consist of close friends
or even romantic partners.
Stable stage: The final stage, the stable stage, simply consists of continued expressions of open
and personal types of interaction.
Also important to note, is the fact that due to current communicative exchanges involving a
high amount of computer mediated contexts in which communication occurs, this area of
communication should be addressed in regard to Social Penetration Theory as well. Online
communication seems to follow a different set of rules. Because much of online communication
between people occurs on an anonymous level, individuals are allowed the freedom of foregoing
the interpersonal ‘rules’ of self disclosure. Rather than slowly disclosing personal thoughts,
emotions, and feelings to others, anonymous individuals online are able to disclose personal
information immediately and without the consequence of having their identity revealed.
Furthermore, this theory assumes the stance that the decision-making process of how much
information an individual chooses to self disclose is ultimately rooted in an analysis of the
costs and rewards that an individual may acquire when choosing to share personal information.

LOVELY PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY 93