Self disclosure

• Self disclosure

  > Revealing personal information about yourself

  > Share likes and dislikes and our interests and attitudes

  > Allowing us to understand our partner better
• Social penetration theory

  > Altmans and Taylors social penetration theory is a concept of how relationships develop

  > It is the gradual process of revealing yourself to someone and revealing your inner self, feelings and deep secrets

  > When one partner discloses something they are signalling they trust the other person
• Social penetration theory 2

  > In order for them to disclose more the other partner may also reveal sensitive information about themselves (reciprocal exchange)

  > As the increasingly disclose more and reciprocate self disclosure, they gain a deeper understanding of one another, and the romantic relationship deepens and increases attraction
• Breadth and depth of disclosure - Onion theory

  > As breadth and depth increases the couple become more committed to each other

  > At the beginning of a relationship we reveal low risk information eg. friends and family

  > If too much deep information is revealed too early on in a relationship it can threaten the relationships development

  > Eventually in a committed relationship, people disclose intimate, high risk information eg. painful memories
• Self disclosure AO3

  :) RTS Sprecher and Hendrick

  > Studied heterosexual dating couples and found strong correlations between several measures of satisfaction and self-disclosure

  > Men and women who used self-disclosure and those who believed their partner reciprocated were more satisfied and committed

  > Therefore, increasing the validity of reciprocated self-disclosure as a factor affecting attraction
• Self-disclosure AO3

  :( Sprechers and Hendricks research is correlational

  > Cause and effect cannot be established between self-disclosure and attraction levels

  > The more satisfied the partners are, the more they disclose or there could be another intervening factor eg the amount of time they spend together

  > Limiting the support and internal validity of the research into self-disclosure as a factor affecting attraction
• Self-disclosure AO3

  :( Limited by cultural relativism

  > The theory that self-disclosure increases attraction in romantic relationships is more relevant to western relationships

  > Low levels of self-disclosure in China, levels of satisfaction in relationships were no different from those in the USA

  > Therefore lowering the external validity of self-disclosure as a factor affecting attraction