SPT Podcast

The transcription discusses the social penetration theory and its application to the relationship between NFL quarterback CJ Stroud and his head coach D'Amico Ryans. The theory suggests that as individuals communicate and share personal information, their relationships deepen and trust is built. Stroud and Ryans developed a strong bond through activities outside of football, such as dinners and workouts. The theory also explains the stages of relationship development, from superficial communication to more personal and intimate sharing. However, the transcript also mentions that there can be negatives to deepening relationships, such as conflicts or differences in beliefs that may lead to a decrease in communication and potential dissolution of the relationship. Overall, the social penetration theory highlights the importance of building deep connections and trust in achieving success. Hey everyone, it's Will from your FGCU communications class. Today we'll be discussing social penetration theory and relating it to a real world example. Fourth and ten with the season on the line, CJ Stroud is on our center, needing ten yards to continue the season. First year head coach D'Amico Ryans calls the play into Stroud. With no bigger moment in both their careers so far, the play is executed seamlessly with a running catch out of receiver Nico Collins. The Texans are in the end zone. The Texans are back in the playoffs. This play and throughout the entirety of the season, the Texans have been underdogs, only winning 11 games since 2020. That play gave the Texans their 10th win of the 2023 season and a playoff berth for the first time since 2019. The season has been contingent on the relationship built by first year head coach D'Amico Ryans and rookie quarterback CJ Stroud. Their relationship has been deepened through the long course of the season, leading to success on and off the football field. Today we'll be talking about how the social penetration theory leads to outcomes like this one, but also the negatives that come with getting too close to someone. The social penetration theory was conceptualized by psychologist Erwin Altman of the University of Utah and Dalmas Taylor of the University of Delaware in 1973. This theory was to help understand the relationship development between individuals. Social penetration theory is a process of relationship bonding which individuals evolve from superficial communications to a more intimate one. Let's dive deeper into the bond created between CJ Stroud and his head coach, relating this further with the social penetration theory. CJ Stroud, the rookie quarterback out of The Ohio State University, was able to build confidence and trust within his players to look like a seasoned veteran, leading his team to the playoffs. He was able to win over the locker room and gain trust from fellow rookies, veterans, and coaching staff alike, to trust in him as he put his trust back into them. This wasn't achieved overnight, but through different activities that Stroud, Ryans, and other players and coaches led and participated in. According to the social penetration theory, in order to strengthen one's relationship with another, information must be communicated back and forth with each other, sharing more personal and intimate information over time. Intimate information and self-disclosure needs to be shared by one another back and forth. In order to bond and create a deeper relationship with D'Amico Ryans, CJ Stroud hosted Ryans, along with some other teammates and sometimes coaches, at his house multiple times a week for dinners, games, workouts, and prayer, to get to know them on a more personal and individual level. Although this came at a monetary cost to Stroud, it allowed the rookie quarterback to better get to know his teammates, their tendencies, and allowed him to show off a little bit, proving to his teammates and coaching staff that he is capable of being, quote, the guy that this team needs so desperately. By putting in this extra effort, information sharing, deep communication, and self-disclosure with those around him, Stroud was able to better connect with his teammates and create a bond unlike any found in the NFL. Now that we know how Stroud and Ryans were able to connect, let's dig a little deeper into what exactly the social penetration theory represents. As we saw with CJ Stroud and D'Amico Ryans, social penetration theory can yield many benefits, leading to more personal and deeper connections with those around you. Altman and Taylor, developers of social penetration theory, stated that as people continue to interact and maintain a relationship, they gradually move toward deeper areas of their mutual personalities through the use of words, bodily behavior, and environmental behaviors. Former linebacker for the Philadelphia Eagles, D'Amico Ryans was able to relate to his players in a deeper way, motivating them to play harder. In sharing a common foundation, Ryans was able to bond with his players in a way that allowed them to grow close as a team over time. D'Amico Ryans and then-rookie quarterback CJ Stroud bonded quickly after the 2023 NFL Draft. The two met in Ryans' office shortly after the draft, at which point Ryans was only four months into his tenure as the Texans coach. At this stage in his career, Ryans had a tall order ahead of him. He was determined to take the Texans, who only had 11 wins since 2020, to a higher rank. During this meeting, Ryans wanted to share his vision of rebuilding the franchise with Stroud. As they discussed Coach Ryans' vision, Ryans shared a Bible scripture with Stroud, encouraging him to remain steadfast and steady as he began to take the lead as Texans quarterback. When Coach Ryans shared his faith with Stroud, this was an example of self-disclosure, or sharing personal details about oneself. Sharing an intimate detail about himself helped him to gain trust and build a relationship with Stroud. Self-disclosure is at the core of relationship development. As relationships develop and we share more intimate details about ourselves, increased trust is built within that relationship. Stroud told Sports Illustrated, That's one thing in football, that's probably the main thing that you need is trust. I appreciate him for trusting me, and he knows that I trust him tremendously. That year, Ryans managed one of the most momentous one-year turnarounds in NFL history. This significant feat is not only a testament to Ryans and his team's commitment, effort, and talent, but it also signifies the importance of building relationships. Building deeper connections and trust with others can ultimately lead to success. Anthony Licciardi, a writer for the Texans Daily, said about D'Amico Ryans, His rise is a testament to the importance of relationships in football and how much character matters in what is ultimately a people-centered business. The onion analogy helps us to understand how social penetration theory works. It can take some time to get to a person's core self. After all, it's at our core that we hold the most intimate details of ourselves. As relationships develop, we peel the onion, so to speak, moving from our more superficial or public outer layers to our more personal middle layers. In the beginning phase of relationships, or the orientation phase, people are typically careful not to disclose too much personal information about themselves. Topics of conversation are often those which are socially accepted, and controversial topics are typically avoided. The orientation phase is the outer layer of the onion, where we most often share our public self. Next, during what's known as the exploratory phase, most people move beyond the outer layer to communicate more personal information. Conversations move from superficial topics as people begin to feel more comfortable opening up to one another. This phase leads to what's known as the effective exchange phase. During this phase, increased familiarity within the relationship is felt, and as a result, more self-disclosure is provided. Finally, in what's called the stable exchange phase, people generally feel comfortable discussing private or sensitive topics. These conversations often include sharing opinions. Because of the increased trust at this phase, people are generally more open to sharing their emotions with one another. The stable exchange phase is the core of the onion, so to speak, where our most personal details live. Essentially, the more people interact, the more they disclose about themselves, and the more comfortable they are to do so. The onion analogy truly highlights the progressive and layered nature of self-disclosure within relationships. In the social penetration theory, there also come some negatives, as it cannot all be positive. There are struggles in relationships, whether that be friendship, romantic, or, as we've all spoken about, it could also be a rift between a coach and his players. This is what we call the depenetration or dissolution, where instead of someone strengthening a relationship, they chose to walk away from one due to a conflict or perhaps a fear. The relationship could have possibly have already been strained or perhaps on pause, which leads to a lack of communication between both parties. And even though we see communication as a strong form of getting closer to people, it could also cause issues. Take the Texans, for example. Their team is thriving at the moment and they have no known issues currently, but that does not mean that down the road, perhaps, Demeco Ryan decides to push the team a little too much in prayer and some of the athletes who do not relate to religion in the same way could possibly decide to lower their form of communication to the coach because of different beliefs. Now, even though that is not the case currently, there's always certain issues that can happen down the line. Another example that was actually used in our textbook, which is Wes and Turner introducing communications theory, it explains that Elise may be unprepared for Jason's past and may wish to depenetrate and ultimately dissolve the relationship. Usually, when there's too much conflict in a relationship or friendship, it could create a need for space and for the pair to step away and become less close. There can also be a transgression that could have occurred in the relationship, which is when there's been a violation of relational rules, practices, and expectations, as quoted from the book. And in this case, this can dedicate the direction that the relationship might choose to take complete termination or a break. Although, even though depenetration is not seen as all good or bad, depenetration could also potentially be good for people to allow themselves space and understand where the issues lie before potentially fixing it and becoming stronger through it. So, as we've seen depenetration be more negative, it doesn't mean that the relationship itself will be completely terminated. The couple could also maybe be more like livened through the relationship and decide that they want to continue even after some discretions or conflicts. So, in conclusion, the social penetration theory can help and aid in the successes of many different activities, such as organized sport, organizational success, and create intimate relationships. Self-disclosure is a necessary aspect for the social penetration theory in order to become more intimate and close to another individual. The social penetration theory is full of benefits, as it allows for more success in deep relationships As mentioned before, these successes can be in sport, in the business and organizational world, and in many other different endeavors. With the many benefits that this theory provides, it also presents some downsides, especially in children, teens, and young adults. They can be more susceptible to self-disclosure online, revealing private and personal information, possibly getting into the wrong hands of bad and evil individuals. These can lead to terrible situations, leading to violence and acts of evil. The social penetration theory allows for people to grow closer and intimate with each other, whether it be for organizational success or in a personal and private relationship. We thank you all for listening as we dove a little deeper into what the social penetration theory represents, how it is used, and what exactly it means. We hope you enjoyed learning a bit more, and we look forward to the next time.