RUNNING HEAD: EVALUATING SOCIAL PENETRATION THEORY
Evaluating Social Penetration Theory
and The Theory's Presence in the Breakfast Club
Edward Compton
Regent University
1
Evaluating Social Penetration Theory
2
One does not find oneself in the mirror. Instead the answers of who one is is found in the way
others react to us (Adler & Proctor, p.5). As humanity pushes forward into the 21st century, it appears
that the need to find out who we are is at the forefront of the millennial generation. Ronald Adler and
Russel Proctor explain in their book, Looking Out Looking In, that the way we interact with each other
helps us to find out who we really are. Irwin Altman and Dalmas Taylor's social penetration theory
explores the process of developing intimacy with another person through mutual self disclosure and
other forms of vulnerability (Griffin, p.114). Self-disclosure, as defined by Em Griffin, is the voluntary
sharing of personal history, attitudes, secrets, values, or feelings in order to achieve transparency. The
design of social penetration theory is to study how self-disclosure and reciprocity (returned selfdisclosure) help to develop intimate relationships. I intend to evaluate social penetration by showing
some studies conducted using the theory, and then explaining how the movie, The Breakfast Club, is a
good example of social penetration theory in practice.
It would be easy to assume that it is easier to build more intimate relationships in groups that
share a common link such as the workplace or sports team. Communications lanes would be easier to
establish in a homogeneous environment. Group homogeneity is positively related to self-disclosure,
and can increase the likelihood of intrapersonal communication ( Storey, 1991). It is easier to engage in
self-disclosure and receive reciprocity in environments where commonality is already located. This is
of course assuming that privacy rules, personal rules for disclosure shaped by culture, gender, motive,
context, and risk benefit ratio, have not been intruded upon (Griffin, p.121). In John Hughes movie
The Breakfast Club, the five teenagers are in a homogeneous environment in where they are in
Saturday detention for various infractions they committed. Initially the group is hesitant to engage in
any form of self-disclosure, but as seeing that the nature of the homogeneous environment lends itself
to easing self-disclosure, they do eventually begin to form relationships due to self-disclosure and
Evaluating Social Penetration Theory
3
reciprocity as described by the social penetration theory.
The content of the information that is being disclosed is a major contributing factor to the
process of social penetration theory. In Robert Norton and Barbara Montgomery's article on the
components of openness, the authors bring up the statement “ I like pie,” as a good example of an
informational comment that does little to help form any type of personal opinion of an individual. Yet
if someone was to say “I had an abortion,” this kind of statement has the power to permanently shape
the course of a relationship forever (Norton & Montgomery, 1982). Powerful emotions being disclosed
could make strong motions in self-disclosure and reciprocity, but those same powerful emotions could
put people off, and then not receive reciprocity and hurt the developing relationship. When the five
teenagers of The Breakfast Club share the stories of how they got Saturday detention the content of the
self-disclosure helps each one to develop more understanding for one another and to ultimately leave
that detention session as friends. It is debatable if the friendships would last past the day (the
characters even question if the coming Monday would change anything), but I believe that breadth of
penetration, the range of areas in an individual's life over which disclosure takes place (Griffin, p. 116),
would help to develop powerful relationships. Brian, played by Anthony Michael Hall, reveals that he
was suicidal. Andrew, played by Emilio Estevez, reveals that he bullies people, but secretly wishes that
he didn't have to live his life like his father wants. Bender, played by Judd Nelson, reveals his harsh
home life of physical and emotional abuse. Claire, played by Molly Ringwald, opens up about the
constant peer pressure she feel in Shermer High and her parents use of her as a tool to hurt one another.
Allison, played by Ally Sheedy, reveals that she is a “basket-case” neglected by her parents due to their
own interpersonal issues. These revelations each came from self-disclosure that led to reciprocity and
then led to relationships I think lasted after that day.
The relationship between the school's janitor, Carl, and the assistant principal Mr. Vernon is
shown as strengthening as they discuss and disclose how they feel about the kids of this generation.
Evaluating Social Penetration Theory
4
The homogeneity and history of the co-workers helps to demonstrate that intimacy and self-disclosure
between partners increases as a relationship is sustained over time (Storey, 1991). Even when Vernon
is busted snooping through private files in the movie, and he is subsequently blackmailed by Carl the
Janitor, the relationship is bolstered by the self-disclosures of the characters willingness to break the
law in self-serving ways. I always found it comical that the two characters were still cool with each
other after that exchange. I suppose this would be another great example of how social penetration
theory helps to explain how self-disclosure and reciprocity help to build relationships.
Some of the risks of self-disclosure are brought to light in The Breakfast Club. Revealing
hidden information may leave someone felling better, and feeling a sense of catharsis, getting
something off your chest (Adler & Proctor, p. 61), it may give some one information in to how to hurt
you. Judd Nelson's character John Bender attempts to use each one of the other Breakfast Club
members self-disclosures against them in attempts to hurt them. However, because the other members
had started to form stronger relationships due to their self-disclosure and reciprocity they banded
together against the hurtful intentions of John Bender. In turn the disclosures of the other Breakfast
Clubbers coupled with the relationships formed helped to open John Bender up to his own selfdisclosure and helped him to form friendships and even a romantic relationship with Claire. Adler and
Proctor explain that there is no guarantee that your self-disclosures will trigger self-disclosures by
others, but your own honesty can create a climate that makes others feel safer and perhaps even
obligated to match your honesty. John Bender is a great example of reciprocity not necessarily
occurring on a turn-for-turn basis, but the revelations offered by the other Breakfast Club members help
to open Bender up later in the movie (Adler & Proctor, p.62).
One of the biggest and culturally impacting themes of The Breakfast Club is the stereotyping of
the cast. Stereotyping is using organizing schemes to classify people in order to make predictions
about their behavior (Adler & Proctor, pp.80-81). Each of the five main characters fit into a stereotype
Evaluating Social Penetration Theory
5
and judge each other accordingly. Throughout the movie the group makes self-disclosures that in turn
receive reciprocity. The stereotypes start to fade away and the the group members begin to find their
identities through their friendships. The social penetration theory helps to study how self-disclosure
and reciprocity can eliminate labels and stereotypes and help to build strong intrapersonal
relationships. It was great to see how self-disclosure led to people seeing others as single individual as
opposed to the a broad generalization based on just a kernel of the truth (Adler & Proctor, p.81).
I find that the social penetration theory is a vital component in the study of intrapersonal
communications. Using social penetration theory as a base, researchers have been able to study how
communication breaks down globally. Social penetration is also prevalent in romantic studies being
conducted in the new millennium. In Jennifer Theiss and Denise Solomon's 2006 study of irritations in
relationships, the researchers found self-disclosure, on the web, from partners has been shown to
correspond with greater emotional reactivity to relational circumstances. A whole new breadth of
disclosure comes from studying social penetration theory and the computer mediated communication.
Social penetration theory is going to be going strong as a tool for studying relationships for many years
to come.
John Hughes' The Breakfast Club is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. The movie has
stood the test of time due to its social commentary on the lives of teenagers, the strong acting by its
characters, and the way John Hughes brilliantly told a story about how stereotypes can be smashed and
real intimate relationships can be formed in the aftermath. Watching the movie for yet another time in
my life, I was pleasantly surprised to see how easily the social penetration theory was applied to the
movie. I then got to thinking about how many other communication theories could be applied to this
movie, or any other movie that I have been watching for twenty plus years. I suppose that it is time to
throw my fist up in the air like John Bender at the end of The Breakfast Club and head to Netflix and
find some new ways to view some of my all-time favorites.
Evaluating Social Penetration Theory
6
References
Adler, R., & Proctor, R. (2014). A First Look at Intepersonal Communication; Communication and
Identity:Creating and Presenting the Self;Perception:What You See is What You Get. In Looking Out
Looking In (14th ed., pp. 1-81). Boston: Wadsworth.
The Breakfast Club [Motion picture on DVD]. (1986). MCA Home Video.
Griffin, E. (2009). Social Penetration Theory of Irwin Altman & Dalmas Taylor. In A First Look At
Communication Theory (7th ed., pp. 114-123). New York: McGraw-Hill.
Norton, R., & Montgomery, B. (1982). Style, Content, and Target Components of Openness.
Communication Research, 9(3). Retrieved April 16, 2015.
Storey, D. (1991). History and Homogeneity. Communication Research, 18(2). Retrieved April 16,
2015.
Theiss, J., & Solomon, D. (2006). A Relational Turbulence Model of Communication About Irritations
in Romantic Relationships. Communication Research, 33(5). Retrieved April 16, 2015.