factors affecting attraction : self-disclosure

What is self disclosure?

Self disclosure is the act of revealing personal information about yourself

Romantic partners reveal more and more as their relationship develops. This disclosure has a vital role in a relationship beyond the initial attraction but most people are careful about what they disclose

Social penetration theory

• self disclosure is a major concept within Altman and Taylor’s social penetration theory of how relationships develop

• In romantic relationships, it involves the reciprocal exchange of information between intimate partners - when one partner reveals some personal information they are signalling ‘ I trust you’

• To go further, the other part was also signal/reveal sensitive information

• As they increasingly disclose more and more romantic partners penetrate more deeply into each other’s lives and gain a greater understanding of each other

Breadth and depth of self disclosure

• According to Altman and Taylor, self disclosure has two elements: Breadth and Depth. As both of these increase, romantic partners become more committed to each other.

• The researcher use layers of an onion to explain the process

• We disclose a lot about ourselves at the start of the relationship, but what we reveal is surface-level like the outside layer of an onion

• Disclosure is limited because many topics are off-limits in the early stages of a relationship as they could be ‘TMI’

• As the relationship develops, disclosure becomes deeper, progressively removing more and more layers to reveal our true selves

• Eventually, we are prepared to reveal intimate, high risk information

• Altman and Taylor used the term depenetration to describe how dissatisfied partners disclose less as they gradually disengage from the relationship

Reciprocity of self disclosure

• As Reis and Shaver point out, for a relationship to develop, as well as an increase of Breadth and Depth there also needs to be a reciprocal element to disclosure

• When one partner reveals their true self there is hope that their partner will respond in a way that is rewarding, with empathy and also self disclosure

• A balance of self disclosure in both partners increases feelings of intimacy and deepens the relationship

Strength

• One strength is that several predictions about self disclosure derived from social penetration theory has been supported by research - Sprecher and Hendrick studied heterosexual dating couples and found stronger correlations between measures of satisfaction and self disclosure for both partners. Men and women who used self disclosure were satisfied with and committed to their romantic relationship. In a later study Sprecher showed that relationships are closer and more satisfying when partners take turns to self disclose. These supportive research findings increase the validity of the theory that reciprocated self disclosure leads the most satisfying

• Another strength is that research into self disclosure can help people who want to improve communication in their relationships - romantic partners sometimes use self disclosure deliberately to increase intimacy and strengthen their bond. Haas and Stafford found at 57% of homosexual men and women said that open and honest of disclosure was the main way they maintain and deepen their relationship. If less skilled partners learn to self disclose, it could bring several benefits to their relationship in terms of deepening satisfaction and commitment. This shows that psychological insights can be valuable and helping people have problems in their relationship relationships

Limitations

• limitation is that it is not true for all cultures that increasing depth and breadth of self disclosure leads to more satisfying intimate romantic relationships - Tang reviewed research into sexual self disclosure they concluded that men and women in the US (generally an individualistic culture) self disclosed significantly more sexual thoughts and feelings than men and women in China (generally are collective culture). Despite lower levels of disclosure in China levels of satisfaction with no different from those in the US. Therefore, self disclosure is a limited explanation of romantic because it is based on finding things from individual cultures which are not necessarily generalised to other cultures so it is culturally biased

• Research into self-disclosure can be criticised for being reductionist, as it often explains relationship development in overly simple terms such as the gradual exchange of information (e.g. social penetration theory). This ignores the complexity of human relationships, including emotional connection, non-verbal communication, and situational factors. As a result, self-disclosure may not be the only or main factor in relationship development, reducing the overall validity of the explanation.