Factors affecting attraction in romantic relationships: Self - disclosure Flashcards
What types of relationships is self disclosure applied to in psychology?
How does self disclosure presented in this type of relationship?
Romantic relationships have self disclosure, where each partner will reveal more about themselves to strengthen the romantic bond as the romantic relationship develops
What is self disclosure?
When someone reveals personal information about themselves, like their deepest thoughts and feelings. This occurs
In successful relationships, what does self disclosure lead to?
In successful relationships there is a balance of self - disclosure between both partners resulting in a level of trust being built
What is penetration described as in the social penetration theory?
Penetration is when both romantic partners increasingly disclosed more and more information to each other resulting in a deep involvement in each other’s lives and a greater understanding of each other
Outline the social penetration theory: explaining what it leads to and how it occurs?
Altman and Taylor introduced the social penetration theory to explain how relationships developed. They describe a person’s gradual process of revealing their inner selves (deepest thoughts and feelings) and having a reciprocal exchange of information with their intimate partners. The increasing amounts of information disclosed between each partner would lead to each partner penetrating deeply into each other’s lives and gaining a greater understanding of each other. Dissatisfied partners however will self - disclose less as they gradually disengage from the relationship, depenetration.
How does gender affect the influence of self disclosure?
Females tend to be more and place more of an importance on self disclosure, therefore having expectations of disclosure from their potential partner
What is depenetration described as in the social penetration theory?
Depenetration is when either partner starts to feel dissatisfied and disclose less information as they gradually disengage from the relationship
What factors may affect the influence of self disclosure?
Gender
Content
Culture
Age
How does content affect the influence of self disclosure?
The information that is disclosed may have an impact on how a potential partner may react. For example a partner might disclose very personal information at the beginning of a relationship which may not be welcomed as it may be viewed as a violation of social norms and be seen as off putting
How does culture affect the influence of self disclosure?
Different cultures will have different traditions and norms whilst dating, for example arranged marriages
How does age affect the influence of self disclosure?
Different age groups disclose different amounts of information
What is a strength of self disclosure as a factor that affects attraction in romantic relationships? (correlational study into heterosexual couples + Hendrick)
Supportive evidence from Specher and Hendrick who carried out a correlational study into heterosexual couples found that men and women who used self - disclosure in a reciprocated way, were more satisfied and committed to their relationships
What is a strength of self disclosure as a factor that affects attraction in romantic relationships? (self disclosure benefits relationships experiencing problems)
Researched findings into self disclosure could bring benefits to relationships experiencing problems. Such research has real world applications as they carry the view that self disclosure can strengthen the bond between partners. In one research study, 57% of homosexual men and women said that self - disclosure helped to strengthen and deepen their relationships
What is a limitation of self disclosure as a factor that affects attraction in romantic relationships? (correlational studies limitation)
Correlational studies only identify a relationship between two variables, in this case between disclosure and successful relationships. It cannot establish cause and effect
What is a limitation of self disclosure as a factor that affects attraction in romantic relationships? (self disclosure is not applicable to all cultures)
Critics argue that research on self disclosure may not apply in the same way to ask cultures. Nu Tang et al found that couples in the US (individualist cultures) disclose significantly more sexual thoughts and feelings than couples in China (collectivist culture) and found teh same levels of satisfaction in both countries despite lower levels of self disclosure in China
