Development of Intimate Relationships

Section One : Relationship Formation The formation of relationships has always been of interest to researchers of social psychology, but it was not until the 1970s that the bulk of theory began to emerge. It was during this time that a wide range of paradigms were developed, but "the domain of relationship development is awesomely vast and incompletely charted" (Duck & Gilmour, 1981a, p vii). Two theories that emerged in the 70s were social penetration theory (Altman & …

…medium as the differentiating source in the alteration of communication. It also points to personal perceptions as playing a role in the way communication is affected. It will not be assumed automatically that social presence is low, but this will be tested out in the section on medium. This brings about a framework that enables the investigation of the ongoing process of relationship development through a series of filters in an altered medium of communication.