FACTORS AFFECTING ATTRACTION - self disclosure

self disclosure

idea of revealing information to your partner to build trust and encourage attraction

social penetration theory ALTMAN AND TAYLOR (1973)

gradual revealing of your inner self

has to be reciprocal exchange of information to further the relationship.

signals trust

breadth and depth of information

breadth - range of topics. often less at the beginning because many topics are off the table

depth - how superficial/deep the information is. ie high risk info like painful memories

depenetration

dissatisfied partners self-disclose less as they disengage with the relationship

research support for self disclosure 

sprecher and hendrick (2004)

studied heterosexual dating and found strong correlations between the measure of satisfaction and self disclosure. 

men and women who practiced this and believed it was reciprocal were found to be more committed to their relationship.

this increases the validity of the theory.

counter argument for research support

strong correlations do not prove causality.

alternative explanations - more satisfied, more self disclosure

third variable affecting both - time spent together 

undermines validity of social penetration theory 

real life application of self disclosure 

can be used in couples therapy

haas and stafford (1998) found that 57% of homosexual men and women used self disclosure to deepen their relationships

theory can be used to improve communications skills of partners and make them more emotionally available

deepen satisfaction and commitment 

psychological insights can be used to help people who are having problems in their relationships

limitation for theory of self disclosure 

cultural differences 

tang et al (2013) reviewed research into sexual self disclosure

US men and women self disclose more (individualistic)

chinese men and women self disclose less (collectivist)

satisfaction levels were similar amongst both

shows that self disclosure doesnt have a significant effect on attraction 

not fully generalisable to other cultures