Factors Affecting Attraction: Self Disclosure

self disclosure

when a person reveals intimate personal information about themselves to another person

Collins and Miller (1994)

people reveal more intimate information to those they like, and tend to like those to whom they have revealed intimate information

social penetration theory

Altman and Taylor (1973)

as both breadth and depth increases, romantic partners become more committed to one another

low risk info is revealed early on in a relationship and high risk info comes out as the relationship progresses

superficial, intimate, personal, core

Reis & Shaver (1988)

suggest that breadth and depth are not sufficient for a relationship to develop. there must be a reciprocal element to disclosure

Sprecher et al (2013)

investigated whether reciprocal self disclosure was more influential in determining attraction than one-sided self-disclosure and listening

PPs were 156 undergraduate students at a university. 2/3 of the pairs were female-female. 1/3 of the pairs were male-female. in the reciprocal condition, PPs pair members took turns asking questions and disclosing. in the non-reciprocal condition one person asked questions while the other one disclosed. roles were switched for the second interaction.

found that individuals in the reciprocal condition reported more liking and perceived similarity of the interaction than did the non-reciprocal pairs

turn-taking self disclosure is more likely to lead to positive interpersonal outcomes than is extended reciprocity

factors involved in self disclosure

appropriateness, attribution, gender differences

appropriateness of the disclosure

intimate disclosures are more favourable

disclosure of highly intimate info may be seen as inappropriate and as violating social norms especially if the relationship is in its early stages

attributions for the disclosure

less attraction occurs if an individual discloses personal info to everyone

gender differences

women are seen as better communicators of intimate information

intimate SD by males may be seen as less appropriate than those by females

or SD by a male may be seen as very rewarding by a female

males may not be used to SD and feel threatened

one strength is support from research studies

Sprecher and Hendrick (2004) found a positive correlation between SD and satisfaction

therefore this could develop therapies or programs where couples used to small talk can be encouraged to increase SD in order to deepen their relationships

one strength is real-life applications

Duck’s (2007) phase model of the breakdown of relationships recognises that couples often discuss their relationship with each other in intimate detail, yet this may not be sufficient enough to save the relationship

sometimes breakdowns of relationships is characterised by a reduction in SD, however this is not always the case

one limitation is that the theory does not apply to all cultures

Tang et al (2013) concluded that people in the US (individualist culture) self disclose more sexual thoughts than people in China (collectivist culture)

both levels of SD are linked to relationship satisfaction in those cultures, but the pattern of SD is different

not generalisable

one limitation is that much of the research is correlational

Sprecher and Hendrick (2004) found strong correlations between several measures of satisfaction and SD in heterosexual relationships

men and women who used SD and those who believed their partners also disclosed were more satisfied with and committed to their relationship