Relational Dialectics In Personal Relationships

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Relational Dialectics and the Social Penetration Theories (Griffin, Ledbetter, & Sparks 2016) describes an aspect of personal relationships. (96-106) While the former explains the existence of dialectical tensions and strategies for managing those contradictions the later explains the process of building intimacy. In addition to highlighting the previous, this paper discusses how cultural differences influence those theories about relational formation and maintenance. Tension, Strategic Responses, and Cultural Diversity Impacts Relational Dialectics (Griffin, Ledbetter, & Sparks 2016) explains how communication constantly creates and challenges personal relationships; various relationships experience, “…a dynamic knot of contradictions,…show more content…
Although the previous includes body language such as eye contact and smiling as methods to achieve intimacy, self-disclosure deeply penetrates a person’s core within a social context. In contrast to the Relational Dialectical theory, the Social Penetration theory accommodates the idea of people counting the costs or benefits to achieving intimacy with a person before committing to the process. In fact, theorists propose, “…we can accurately gauge the payoffs of a variety of interactions…and the action that will provide the best results”. (100) Even though Altman admits that environmental factors impact the depth of self-disclosure in social penetration, cultural distinctions play a role as well. In other words, cultural diversity plays a role in the depth of self-disclosure; social psychologist (Griffin, Ledbetter, & Sparks 2016) Howard Giles’s Communication Accommodation Theory indicates a need for using communication strategies like convergence, or divergence to achieve closeness within a culturally diverse, relational context. (393) Meaning, diversity may promote self-disclosing or shun the idea depending upon collective cultural and individual centralistic values. Consequently, the Social Penetration Theory may not explain how its tenets or core concepts apply to interracial relationships or marriages where an age difference
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