Through the stages of interpersonal relationship development, people make decisions on a number of factors to determine the value of the relationship. Interpersonal communication identifies the exchange of messages by sending and receiving incorporating both direct and indirect techniques. During this process, individuals develop significant information about one another and using their skills to decode the received messages. In light of this, the social exchange theory describes interpersonal relationship development more accurately than dialectical or social penetration theories. It suggests that relationships developed between individuals occur through a series of interactions. Through this communication, people determine the rewards and punishments gained from others. The assessment of the relationship can be either conscious or subconscious. It helps determine the value of the interaction and possibility of its progress into the future. In this regard, the social exchange theory assumes that interaction that prompts approval is more likely to develop as opposed to the one that evokes disapproval.
Contrastingly, dialectical theory interprets that relationships develop due to multiple contradictions interwoven in the dialectical tensions. The oppositions that are present in the interpersonal relationships may be of three kinds openness versus closeness, connectedness versus autonomy and predictability versus novelty. This theory identifies the importance of similarities and differences existing in a relationship to guarantee its sustenance into the future. In this regard, the dialectical theory fails to highlight the importance of comparison level in making the decision on developing the relationship. Though the social penetration theory bears significant resemblance to that of social exchange theory, there are a few differences noted that make the latter more accurate. The theorists correctly identify the movement of social relations from shallow non-intimate one to a deeper level of more personal regard. Despite the truth in this assumption, it is evident that lack of rewards or excessive punishments at the start of the relationship could hinder its development into more intimate.
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