Factors Affecting Attraction: Self-Disclosure Flashcards
Self Disclosure
The term, ‘self disclosure is revealing personal information about yourself. Romantic partners reveal more about their true selves as their relationship develops. These self-disclosures about one’s deepest thoughts and feelings strengthen a romantic bond when used appropriately.
In the early days of a relationship, we want to learn as much as we can about our new partner and the more we learn the more we like our partner. By revealing ourselves to another person, we can share our likes/dislikes, hopes, fears, interests and attitudes. We share what is important to us which in turn means we understand each other better.
Advantages of Self-Disclosure
+ Research conducted by Altman and Taylor (1973) supports the theory of selfdisclosure. They found that self-disclosure on the first date is inappropriate and did not increase attraction levels. The person who was self-disclosing was seen as maladjusted and not very likeable.
+ Tal-Or (2015) conducted research which agrees with the fundamental concept of self-disclosure being a gradual process that can affect attraction for romantic relationships. Analysis of reality TV shows like Big Brother revealed that viewers did not like contestants who self-disclosed early on. They preferred the contestant who self-disclosed gradually.
+ Kito (2010) found research evidence to support the idea of self-disclosure across different cultures. Kito investigated Japanese and American students in different types of relationships, and found that self-disclosure was high for Japanese and American students in romantic relationships that were heterosexual.
+ One strength of self-disclosure is the research support for the social penetration theory. For example Sprecher and Hendrick (2004) studied heterosexual dating couples and found strong correlations between several measures of satisfaction and self-disclosure for both partners. Men and women who reciprocated their self-disclosure to each other were more satisfied and committed to their romantic relationship.
Disadvantages of Self-Disclosure
- Sprecher (2013) found research evidence that the level of self-disclosure received is the best predictor of liking and loving, rather than the amount of self-disclosure given. This goes against the idea of reciprocal self-disclosure.
- It seems unlikely that attraction to a potential partner is based on selfdisclosure alone. Self-disclosure might be an important element, but other factors are also needed in order to increase attraction, such as physical attraction, similarity of attitudes and complementarity of needs.
- One weakness of self-disclosure is that much research is correlational - for example in Sprecher and Hendrick’s study, they used self report to gather data meaning much of the findings was correlational - there was a correlation between self-disclosure creating more satisfaction in a relationship. However this is only suggesting a relationship and does not conclude that self-disclosure causes more satisfaction.
Social Penetration Theory
One theory that really explains self-disclosure is Altman and Taylors (1973) social penetration theory which is all about how relationships develop. It is the gradual process of revealing your inner self to someone else and giving away your deepest thoughts and feelings. In romantic relationships, self-disclosure involves the reciprocal exchange of information between intimate partners. So when one partner reveals something personal, this indicates trust which will in turn encourage the other partner to share personal information too. As more information is disclosed, romantic partners penetrate more deeply into each other’s lives and gain a better and greater understanding of each other. Self-disclosure will encourage reciprocation and a more stronger relationship.
Self-disclosure has two elements - breadth and depth and as both increase so will the commitment of both partners. Altman and Taylor describe breadth and depth of self-disclosure like many layers of an’onion. So as we peel the onion, we are revealing more about ourselves - this happens gradually and over time as revealing too much at the beginning of a relationship might lead to ‘MI’ (too much information) which could ruin the relationship before it has even started
Reciprocity of Self Disclosure
Reis and Shaver (1988) explain that for a relationship to develop, there needs to be reciprocity in disclosure for example, if one partner has disclosed something intimate and reveals something about his/her true self, then the other partner will respond with empathy and also their own thoughts. It is therefore a balance of self-disclosure between partners in a successful romantic relationships which increases intimacy and deepness of the relationship.
