Social Penetration in The Dead Poet's Society.
When two people meet, they automatically begin what is called the social penetration process. This theoretical process is the general steps which people go through in establishing, as well as breaking relationships. It's almost subconscious in that they are not aware of it, but most people follow the basic steps of coming together and falling apart. One significant relationship in Dead Poet's Society, was that of Mr. Keating and his students. The initial and experimental stages were slightly different in this situation considering that it's a teacher, student relationship. As soon as the students ( Ted, Niel, Nox, Dolton, Camron) entered the classroom to study poetry and literature the were surprised, yet captivated at the way that Mr. Keating taught. It was a liberal and passionate style which got the students really involved in what they were doing. The third sage, Intensifying, came soon when the conversations between Mr. Keaty and the students outside the classroom went past the basic I"ll tell you, you tell me stage. A significant part in their relationship was when he told the boys about his past dead poets society and what poetry really means. Mr. Keaty was a romantic who supported self-realization, rather than you believing what the typical teacher says whether makes sense or not. His main idea was to get the students to suck the marrow out of life as much as possible and that is where they connected. The whole idea of Carpe Diem. Anyway, the Integrating stage of giving symbols, longer and more intense conversations, similar attitudes, and becoming closer friends happened in many forms. The students were able to identify with Mr. Keating simply because he understood the students, never lost his sense of humor, and treated them with more respect than any other teachers. The bonding stage secures the relationships and show appreciation and care to the people in the relationship.
