Thursday, January 31, 2008

Stable Exchange Stage of the Social Penetration Theory



In the above clip, one of the closing scenes of Zach Braff's lauded romantic indie flick "Garden State," the two main characters Andrew (Zach Braff) and Sam (Natalie Portman) finally approach the stable exchange stage of their relationship which has been built up over the course of the movie.

Throughout the movie Braff's character displays an inability to show emotion. He never cries, he is stoic in almost every social exchange he is involved in, and he fails to cry or even appear saddened by the death of his mother early on in the story. His jaded disposition isn't helped by the enormous dosages of lithium and other psychoactive drugs he consumes daily per the advice of his psychiatrist father.

In this scene, Andrew shows his first signs of vulnerability and complete openness to Sam when he sheds a tear. He also begins to talk about his history with his mother, a topic he avoids discussing at all until this point. Earlier in the movie, we learn from a slightly intoxicated Andrew that he pushed his mother when he was 9 years old, and through a series of freak occurrences, the fall left her confined to a wheelchair for the rest of her life. Because of this, he has resented her for most of his life, so this if the first time he expressed any positive attitudes towards her by sharing a pleasant memory from his childhood with Sam, representing full self-disclosure.

The couple displays synchronized needs in this scene as well. The minute Andrew sheds a tear Sam grabs a cup to "save it," and through this playful display she shows to Andrew that she understands how important this moment is.

Their conversation is no longer about trivial things like bands or pets as they were in the Orientation Stage. They are spontaneously and freely discussing issues with serious emotional weight, like Andrew's relationship with his deceased mother and their inability to cope with the fact they are in love even though they will soon be separated when Andrew returns to Los Angeles. The depth of their self-disclosure is at its greatest point.

Sam is equally open, when she begins to speak about how "it hurts..." referring to the fact that she cannot deal with Andrew's departure. This is also her highest point of self-disclosure as through the entire movie she has shown herself to be independent and free-spirited, not the type to fall in love easily. She shows her vulnerability as much, if not more, than Andrew does.

The two also seem to have achieved dyadic uniqueness as Sam and Andrew remain humorous throughout this emotionally-charged exchange. Andrew remarks he would save the first tear he has shed since childhood in a "scrapbook, if he had a scrapbook," while Sam half-jokingly says "I don't think I'm going to be able to get all of those," referring to his tears, when Andrew finally breaks down.

Throughout "Garden State" Andrew and Sam remain lover's at arms length, slowly growing closer throughout the Orientation, Exploratory Affective Exchange and Affective Exchange stages. While this is not the immediate moment they confirm their romantic attraction towards each other, this scene illustrates their full self-disclosure, spontaneity and dyadic uniqueness the best, so it is a vaild representation of the Stable Exchange stage of Social Penetration Theory.

4 comments:

Yifeng Hu said...

Fully grasped the characteristics of Stabe Exchnage Stage and did a thorough analysis of the material. Nice job!

Jeffrey Roman said...

I still don't understand why "Garden State" is so lauded, but that's personal opinion. Regardless, the clip was a perfect example of the stable exchange stage, the last stage of the social penetration theory.

What occurred between Andrew and Sam was extraordinary, something that could not have happened during any other stage. Andrew shedding his tears in front of Sam, diving into personal territory in regards to his mother, and allowing her to come close with hugs and kisses, shows that they were at the perfect comfort level, allowing them to showcase their true selves.

Watching the clip once again, I started to see other details that portrayed the stable exchange stage even better. This included facial gestures from both Andrew and Sam, as well as the personal humor between the two which you discussed in your summary. All in all, I feel this was a great summary.

Anonymous said...

This is an ideal example of the Stable Exchange Stage. Both Andrew and Sam are completely open and synchronized with one another. Sam realizes how significant it is that Andrew is showing this much emotion, and handles it in a way which shows her true feelings for him. She holds him close and uses the humor that both of them share to help cheer him up. Also, they are both emotionally synchronized throughout the clip as is shown when Sam continually explains that she knows exactly how Andrew feels. All in all, I think this clip and the explanation was well thought out and precise.

Yifeng Hu said...

Nice comments!