self disclosure

• altman and taylor 1973
• in romantic relationships, self disclosure involves the reciprocal exchange of information, both partners penetrate deeper into each others lives and gain a greater understanding of each other
• self disclosure has two elements: breath and depth
• we disclose a lot of information at the start of a relationship, however there is little depth to this self disclosure, breadth of disclosure is also narrow as many topics are deemed 'off limits' in the early relationship stages
• As a relationship develops, self-disclosure becomes deeper and has greater breadth, progressively removing more and more layers to reveal our true selves
• reciprocity?


  • When one partner reveals something very personal their partner needs to respond in a rewarding way​
  • This can be showing understanding/empathy or by revealing their own personal thoughts/feelings ​
• • For a successful romantic relationship there needs to be breadth, depth and reciprocity in self-disclosure  ​
  • So that there is a balance of self-disclosure between partners​
  • This increases feelings of intimacy and deepens the relationship​
• a03?


  • A strength is that there is research to support that self-disclosure affects attraction, one supporting study investigated heterosexual couples
  • Researchers found strong positive correlations between several measures of satisfaction and self-disclosure (both their’s and their partner’s)​
  • This meant that men and women who used more self-disclosure (and those who believed their partners did as well) were more satisfied with, and committed to their romantic relationship​
  • Therefore, self-disclosure is an important factor in successful relationships​
• a03?


  • Another study that supports self-disclosure used a method that involved Ps writing daily diary entries. ​
  • They found that self-disclosure and the perception of self-disclosure in a partner were linked to higher levels of intimacy in long-term married couples​
  • The reverse was also true - less intimate couples self-disclosed less often. ​Such research findings support the validity of the theory that self-disclosure leads to more satisfying relationships​
• a03?


  • a criticism is that much research into self-disclosure is correlational​
  • This means that it could be that people who are secure in their relationship feel able to disclose more personal items, rather than the disclosure making them more secure​
  • Therefore cause and effect cannot be inferred ​
  • Thus the relationship between self-disclosure and relationship security is unclear​
• a03?


  • A strength of the theory is that research into self-disclosure it can be used to help people improve communication in their relationships.​
  • One study found that 57% of gay men and women said that open & honest self-disclosure was the main way they maintained and deepened their committed relationships. ​
  • If partners that tend to limit communication to ‘small talk’ can learn to use self-disclosure it would benefit the relationship in terms of deepening satisfaction and commitment​
  • Therefore there are positive real life applications of this research. ​