Self-disclosure

avatar
Created by
molly

Cards (9)

  • Self disclosure
    Reveal your feelings, attitudes, beliefs, memories, to your partner so they understand you better
  • Social penetration theory
    Altman + Taylor
    • gradual process of revealing your inner self to your partner.
    • involves reciprocal exchange
    • displays trust in the other person.
  • Breadth
    Disclose a lot the start but it is superficial.
  • Depth
    reveal more ' high-risk ' information as relationship develops.
  • Reciprocity of self-disclosure
    • Relationship needs reciprocal disclosure to develop.
    • Encourages each other
  • Research support of Self-disclosure - Sprecher + Hendrick

    Studied heterosexual dating couples and found strong correlations between several measures of satisfaction and SD for both partners. Men and women who used SD (and believed their partners did as well) were more satisfied with and committed to their relationships.
  • Methodological weakness of Sprecher + Hendrick's study
    It is a correlation so it is assuming the relationship between SD and satisfaction. Reduces validity as there is no established ' cause and effect '
  • Real life application of self-disclosure
    Haas and Stafford (1998) found that 57% of homosexual men and women said that open and honest SD was the main way they maintained and deepened their relationships. So, if less skilled partners learn to use SD, then this could bring several benefits to their relationships.

    Can help in relationship therapy as it helps identify problems.

    Weakness
    • low population validity - only looked at homosexual couples.
    • Self report techniques could lead to social desirability bias.
  • Cultural differences in self-disclosure
    Tang et al. (2013) reviewed research into sexual SD (i.e., disclosures related to feelings about specific sexual practices). They concluded that men and women in the US self-disclose significantly more sexual thoughts and feelings than men and women in China. Despite lower levels of SD in China, levels of satisfaction were no different from those in the US.