Factors affecting attraction - Self Disclosure Flashcards
What is self-disclosure
Voluntary sharing of personal information about the self to another person
We tend to disclose more information to those we like, and like people who reveal information about themselves to us more.
This is thought to be an indication of trust that information will stay between the individuals, increasing interpersonal attraction and closeness
What did Altman and Taylor suggest
That as the relationship between individuals develops as the breadth (types of topics discussed) and depth (level of information about a topic that is revealed) of interpersonal communication increases from shallow levels to become more intimate. This is social penetration theory (SPT)
Why is reciprocity important
relationships will only develop if both individuals are active in both disclosing information and responding in an appropriate way
What are attributions to self disclosure
individuals consider the motivations behind self disclosure, someone who is seen to disclose to anyone, is seen as less attractive than someone who discloses to us because they see us as special
Why do we consider appropriateness in self disclosure
While information is generally seen as improving relationships, breaking social norms or revealing information too early (TMI) can have the opposite reaction, lower attraction
Self disclosure correlation research
Sprecher and Hendrick (2004) used a longitudinal observational study watching couples self disclosure on dates. Men and women were found to have similar levels of self disclosure, and a positive correlation was found between the amount of self disclosure and measures of the quality of the relationship (satisfaction, love and commitment)
What does Sprecher and Hendricks (2004) research suggest
That self disclosure is reciprocal with both partners needing to reveal information about themselves. Higher levels of self-disclosure are linked to the levels of attractiveness felt towards a romantic partner
What is a criticism of Sprecher and Hendricks (2004) research
This research and much of the research on self disclosure is correlational. So there may not be a causal link, rather than self-disclose causing attraction, we may self-disclose more to people we are attracted to. Or perhaps there is a third factor, if we share interests with people this may lead to both increased disclosure and increased attraction.
Sprecher (2013) Reciprocal Self-disclosure and liking procedure
Pairs of unacquainted undergraduate students were asked to participate in a self-disclosure task over Skype.
Reciprocal condition: the pairs immediately took turns asking questions and disclosing.
Non-reciprocal condition: one person asked questions while the other person disclosed. Then they switched roles (extended reciprocity).
Sprecher (2013) Reciprocal Self-disclosure and liking findings
Findings: Individuals in the reciprocal condition reported more liking, closeness, perceived similarity and enjoyment of the interaction than those in the non-reciprocal condition and this difference remained after they switched roles in the non-reciprocal condition.
This showed that turn-taking self-disclosure reciprocity is more likely to lead to positive interpersonal outcomes than is extended reciprocity.
What is a strength of Spretcher (2013)
It supports the view that self-disclosure is positively related to relationship stability. Also supports it is important to follow the norm of reciprocity and turn taking in self-disclosure for interpersonal attraction.
It is a laboratory study, can control and manipulate variables, replication, establish cause and effect
What are the limitations of self-disclosure
It is generally thought that women are better communicators, more willing to share intimate information. This could however be an example of alpha bias, exaggerating the differences between men and women.
Increased self disclosure could be culturally bias, a reflection of individualistic western ideas. Findings by Tang suggest that people in the collectivist society of China have higher relationship satisfaction with lower levels of disclosure
