Factors affecting attraction: Self disclosure

• Attraction is the action or power of evoking interest in or likely for someone or something 
• Self disclosure is when an individual reveals information about themselves to another person. We tend to disclose more information to those we like, and like people who reveal information about themselves to us more. This is thought to be an indication of trust that information will stay between the individuals 
• Information revealed:

  • Altman and Taylor suggest that as the relationship between individuals develops as the breadth and depth of interpersonal communication increases from shallow levels to become more intimate. They call this social penetration theory (SPT) 
  • Breadth: the types of topics that can be discussed, certain areas may not be appropriate until a certain level of friendship 
  • Depth: level of information about a topic that is revealed such as information that is emotionally painful 
• Reciprocity: Relationships will only develop if both individuals are active in both disclosing information and responding in an appropriate way 
• Attributions: individuals consider the motivations behind self disclosure, someone who is seen to disclose to anyone, is seen as less attractive than someone who discloses to us because they see us as special 
• Appropriateness: while revealing information is generally seen as improving relationships, breaking social norms or revealing information too early (TMI) can have the opposite reaction, lower attraction 
• Spreeher and Hendrick shows research evidence for correlations in self disclosure. Used a longitudinal observational study watching couples self disclosure on dates. Men + women were found to have similar levels of self disclosure. A positive correlation was found between the amount of self disclosure and measures of the quality of the relationship (satisfaction, love, commitment). Suggests self disclosure is reciprocal with both partners needing to reveal information about themselves. Higher levels of self disclosure links to the level of attractiveness felt towards romantic partners. 
•  Hass and Stafford 1:

  There is research support for the concept of self disclosure as a factor affecting attraction in romantic relationships. Hass and Stafford conducted a study with gay men and women to discover how they sustained and developed their romantic relationships with partners. They found that 57% of gay men and women considered open and honest self disclosure as the most important strategy to maintain a close romantic relationship.
•  Hass and Stafford 2:

  This demonstrates the importance of self disclosure in romantic relationships, just as the theory has predicted, and also provides real world application in terms of relationship counselling. This means that less skilled partners, with limited communication skills, can focus on developing self disclosure as a strategy to improve their relationships which will improve their satisfaction and connection to others 
• There is further research support for the role of self disclosure as a factor affecting attraction in romantic relationships. Laurenceau et al asked participants to write a daily diary entry about their relationship. They found that self disclosure, and perception of disclosure in a partner, led to greater feelings of intimacy. The reverse was true as well, couples who complained about a lack of intimacy self disclosed less often. This therefore suggests that self disclosure does play an important role in deepening intimacy and feelings of attraction towards a romantic partner 
• Social penetration theory was developed based on research in a western, individualist culture, so it may not apply to collectivist cultures. For example, Tang et al found that men and women in the USA tended to disclose more sexual thoughts and feelings than romantic partners in China; however, the level of relationship satisfaction was higher in both cultures. This shows that self disclosure is not a requirement for successful relationships in all cultures, making Social Penetration Theory culturally biassed.