Self-Disclosure

• What type of information is revealed at the start of a relationship?

  Low-risk, superficial information that might be shared with anyone. Breadth (some topics not discussed)is narrow and depth (detail) is shallow
• What did Reis and Shaver say a relationship needed to develop?

  Reis and Shaver proposed that for a relationship to develop, self-disclosure must be reciprocal- disclosing something and expecting your partner to respond in a trusting and empathetic way with their own thoughts
• What does Altman's and Taylor's Social Penetration Theory say about how relationships develop?


  It says that relationships develop through a process of revealing your inner self to someone else, of giving away your deepest thoughts and feelings. As they increasingly disclose more and more, romantic partners 'penetrate' more deeply into each others lives, and gain a greater understanding of each other
• What are the stages of the Onion Model?


  Superficial layer- things you'd disclose to anyone, e.g. favourite colour

  Middle layer- slightly more personal things like political views

  Inner layer- more personal things like personal goals

  Self core- the most personal things like deepest secrets
• What type of correlation did Sprecher and Hendrick find between satisfaction and self disclosure in heterosexual relationships?


  They found a positive relationship- men and women who used self-disclosure were more satisfied and committed to their romantic partner
• What is a problem with much of research on self-disclosure


  It is mostly correlational, meaning that it does not tell us if it is a valid conclusion to draw. It does not give us a cause
• What real world application has there been which Hass and Stafford found?


  Hass and Stafford found 57% of gay men and women believed self-disclosure strengthened their relationships- suggesting encouraging more S.D could be used in counselling to aid floundering relationships.
• What did Dindia and Allen find about how SD research has gender differences


  Dindia and Allen found females disclose more to a known person than males, suggesting there may be gender differences in how S.D affects attraction