Social Penetration TheoryIntroductionIn class, we discussed and then studied different theories on human relationships. All of these theories examined why and how people interact with each other, and attempted to explain why they choose a particular relationship and not others. I came across the theory of social penetration while reading after one of our classes. Two American sociologists, Altman and Taylor, developed this theory. They emphasize that “…relationships include different levels of intimacy, exchange, or degree of social penetration.” That is, there are stages in relationships between people, which go through a kind of systematic and predictable trajectory process. This idea sounds appealing to anyone who has difficulty developing meaningful relationships. Just thinking that relationships follow a path toward closeness, whose development is organized and predictable, will certainly save me from countless disappointments. Jason and Kayla About three years ago, a friend of my parents, who I will call Jason for the purposes of this mission, lost his wife. The central aspect of the theory is the conceptualization of relationship development as a process (Amada Carpenter, 2010). Specifically, Altman and Taylor explained that relationships go through sequential stages in their development. They defined four stages (Irwin Altman, 1973): 1- Orientation stage: In this, individuals are cautious and hesitant in their interaction, which is regulated by rules and social formulas. At this stage, little information is shared.2. Emotional Exploratory Exchange Stage: In this stage, individuals begin to relax and be more friendly toward each other. Likewise, more information is