Standpoint theorists focus on how people who are oppressed see the world differently from those in power. Georg Hegel studied master, slave relationships to show that what people understand about themselves and society depends on their position. For example, captives experience things like laws, punishment, and childbirth in ways their masters do not. Because those in power control society, they can make their view the “official” one by creating rules and writing history.

This paragraph stood out to me because it shows how people can still build close relationships even when they aren’t communicating face-to-face. I think this connects to social penetration theory because relationships grow when people share more personal information over time, and that can still happen through texting or social media. Even if technology limits things like body language or tone of voice, people can still get to know each other by communicating regularly and opening up more. The part about COVID-19 makes this feel realistic because a lot of relationships had to move online, but people still stayed connected. The hyperpersonal model is also interesting because it suggests online communication can sometimes make relationships feel even closer, which might be because people feel more comfortable sharing personal things. Overall, this paragraph shows that relationships can still develop as long as people keep sharing information and communicating.

Burgoon’s definition of personal space shows that the distance we keep from others is not accidental but shaped by both cultural norms and personal comfort levels. What stood out to me is the idea that personal space is a balance between our need for closeness and our need for privacy, which connects directly to Expectancy Violations Theory. This helps explain why the same behavior, like standing too close, can feel friendly to one person but uncomfortable or invasive to another. Hall’s concept of proxemics adds to this by emphasizing that many of these spatial expectations operate without us even realizing it, making violations more noticeable and impactful when they occur.

This part stood out to me because it shows how self-disclosure usually works as a give-and-take, especially early in a relationship. Social Penetration Theory suggests that when one person opens up, the other often feels pressure to match that level of openness, so things don’t feel unbalanced. Pete sharing something personal could make him seem more trustworthy to Jon, which encourages Jon to open up too. I also found it interesting that the theory admits it doesn’t fully explain why reciprocity happens, just that it usually does. This makes the theory feel more realistic, since not everyone reacts to vulnerability in the same way. Overall, this idea helps explain how small disclosures can slowly lead to deeper closeness.