Self Disclosure

• What is Self Disclosure?


  Revealing personal information about yourself
• Social Penetration Theory

  • Greater disclosure between individuals leads to a greater sense of intimacy and development of romantic feeling
  • Happens when sufficient trust has been built and states we tend to reveal intimate details to people we like to let them learn about our inner self
  • This involves the reciprocal exchange of information between partners
• Breadth and Depth of Self Disclosure

  • Breadth and depth increases as commitment increases
  • People disclose lots of information at the start but it is mostly superficial and low risk information
  • The breadth of topics we discuss is small at this point as many topics are “off-limits” in the early stages of a relationship
  • Revealing too much at this point could threaten the relationship as the other person feels put off before the relationship has started
  • Moderate levels of self-disclosure in the early stages are seen as most effective
• Reciprocity of Self Disclosure

  • As well and breadth and depth there needs to be a reciprocal element to disclosure
  • Once you disclosed something hopefully your partner will respond with their own intimate feelings
• Self Disclosure AO3: Research Support

  • Have been supported with researchers finding strong correlations between several measures of satisfaction and self-disclosure within heterosexual relationships
  • Men and women who self disclose believe their partners did the same and rated themselves as more satisfied and committed to the relationship
  • The reverse is also true with less intimate couples self disclosing less often
  • Suggests self disclosure is important and has validity
• Self Disclosure AO3: Cultural Differences

  • Have limited validity to only heterosexual couples or western society as self disclosure leading to a more intimate relationship is not true across all cultures
  • Sexual self disclosure was more open in western cultures than it was in collectivist cultures such as China
  • Japanese women preferred a lower level of conversation than Japanese men which is the opposite of self disclosure patterns in western society
  • Self Disclosure as an aspect of attraction is impacted by culture
• Self Disclosure A03: Real World Application

  • Research into self disclosure can help people who want to improve communication in their relationship
  • Self disclosure can improve intimacy and strengthen bonds
  • 57% of homosexual men and women said self disclosure deepened their relationship
  • This can help improve relationships such as couples therapy to save relationships to increase satisfaction
• Self Disclosure AO3: Correlational Issues

  • Self Disclosure research is correlational
  • It is assumed that greater self disclosure creates more satisfaction
  • However a correlation cannot tell us this as correlation does not mean causation
  • There may be another third variable
  • This reduces the validity of self disclosure