factors affecting attraction: self disclosure Flashcards
Self-Disclosure
The process of revealing personal information, including likes, dislikes, hopes, fears, interests, and attitudes, to another person.
Importance:
Helps romantic partners understand each other better.
Plays a vital role in the early stages of attraction and the development of relationships.
When used wisely and effectively, it can help the relationship progress smoothly.
Social Penetration Theory
A concept by Altman and Taylor (1973), explaining how relationships develop through self-disclosure.
Key Points:
Describes the gradual process of revealing deeper layers of thoughts and feelings to someone else.
Involves reciprocal sharing of information as a sign of trust (“I trust you”).
Partners share increasingly sensitive information as the relationship deepens, resulting in stronger romantic bonds.
Breadth and Depth of Self-Disclosure
Two dimensions of self-disclosure:
Breadth: Range of topics disclosed.
Depth: Degree of personal significance in the disclosed information.
Illustration:
Compared to an onion, where superficial topics are like outer layers and deeper, personal topics are the inner layers.
Early disclosure involves “low-risk” information, while deeper, more personal topics emerge over time as trust grows.
Stages of Self-Disclosure
Begins with superficial information during the early relationship stage.
Deeper disclosure occurs gradually, removing more layers and revealing true selves.
Encourages understanding of personal values, strong beliefs, and even secrets.
Challenge:
Disclosing too much too soon may lead to “TMI” (too much information), which can harm the relationship.
Reciprocity of Self-Disclosure
A concept by Reis and Shaver (1988) emphasizing that self-disclosure must be mutual to build intimacy.
Process:
If one partner discloses something personal, the other is expected to reciprocate.
This back-and-forth exchange fosters feelings of trust and intimacy in a relationship.
Termination and Self-Disclosure
Altman and Taylor’s theory also explains that self-disclosure patterns change in deteriorating relationships.
Example:
In fading relationships, partners often share less personal information, reflecting the disengagement from the emotional bond.
Research Support
One strength is that several predictions about self-disclosure derived from social penetration theory have been supported by research.
Susan Sprecher and Susan 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 used self-disclosure (and believed their partners did likewise) were more satisfied with and committed to their romantic relationship. In a later study, Sprecher et al. (2013) showed that relationships are closer and more satisfying when partners take turns to self-disclose (i.e., disclosure is reciprocated).
These supportive research findings increase the validity of the theory that reciprocated self-disclosure leads to more satisfying relationships.
Counterpoint:
Much self-disclosure research is correlational, including Sprecher and Hendrick’s study. It is usually assumed that greater self-disclosure creates more satisfaction (i.e., a causal link), but a correlation does not tell us if this is a valid conclusion to draw. Alternative explanations are just as likely. For instance, it may be that the more satisfied the partners are, the more they self-disclose. Or perhaps self-disclosure and satisfaction are independent of each other and both are caused by a third variable. This could be the amount of time the partners spend together.
Therefore self-disclosure may not cause satisfaction directly, reducing the validity of social penetration theory of self-disclosure.
Real-World Application
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. Stephen Haas and Laura Stafford (1998) found that 57% of homosexual men and women said that open and honest self-disclosure was the main way they maintained and deepened their committed relationships. If less-skilled partners (e.g., those who limit communication to ‘small talk’) learn to use self-disclosure, this could bring several benefits to their relationships in terms of deepening satisfaction and commitment.
This shows that psychological insights can be valuable in helping people who are having problems in their relationships.
Cultural Differences
One limitation is that it is not true for all cultures that increasing depth and breadth of self-disclosures leads to a more satisfying and intimate romantic relationship.
Nu Tang et al. (2013) reviewed research into sexual self-disclosure (i.e., disclosures related to feelings about specific sexual practices). They concluded that men and women in the US (generally an individualist culture) self-disclose significantly more sexual thoughts and feelings than men and women in China (generally a collectivist culture). Despite lower levels of disclosure in China, levels of satisfaction were no different from those in the US.
Therefore self-disclosure theory is a limited explanation of romantic relationships because it is based on findings from individualist cultures which are not necessarily generalisable to other cultures.
