Social Penetration Theory Analysis Paper

...

The third level of the onion is described as my preferences in clothes, foods and music. Many in Kansas did not enjoy my choice of clothing when I moved here. Mostly black or blue jeans, biker boots, slicked back hair (greaser style), stretched ears, and many other piercings. Since then I have toned down my choice of clothing, takin out my piercings and have tried a few different hair styles. My music and food preferences have not changed since moving here (I still find biscuits and gravy nasty).

Goals and aspirations are the fourth layer. This layer is something that I would likely only reveal to a close friend or family member. I believe this can go for current and past goals/aspirations. Like at one point I wanted to be a game designer, owner of a restaurant/bar/pub, travel the world and be an adrenaline junky, be the next strongest man in the world. Some of these can be rather embarrassing to reveal or even talk about unless I am close to someone. When I first moved to college here in Kansas my first roommate and me quickly became good friends. We liked much of the same stuff and even had similar goals. Despite this relationship falling through and us ending on bad terms, he never told anyone else what we had talked about, and I have reciprocated this.

The remaining inner layer of the onion contains information about myself that I would only reveal to those that I trust above all else. Maybe two or three people at most. These include my fears, fantasies, anxieties, self-concepts, and so on. It is after all not good table talk to speak about how when there is a group of people I want to run and hide, or that to many voices make me want to hold my hands over my ears and drown them out, or even when I get a bad test grade I feel like giving up and instantly revert to my inner self concepts of how I am a failure and cannot do anything correct. There are of course fantasies tied in with these layers but again, not good table talk.

So, what can I do knowing who I was and now who I am because of not only being immersed in mid-western culture but also because of all the social penetration I have encountered. Well being a bit more open is certainly up there, as well as being more choosing of who I revel my inner layers to. I have learned much from this theory, like how in detail the onion personality structure is, the different layers of the onion, and how they can help us to better understand ourselves and others.

Work Cited

- Griffin, Em. A first look at communication theory (7th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

...