Factors affecting attraction (self disclosure) Flashcards
What is self disclosure
Self disclosure is when an individual reveals information about themselves to another individual
What factors make an individual more likely to self disclose
-An individual is more likely to disclose information to another individual if they like them
-An individual is also more likely to self disclose to a person who reveals information about themselves to the individual and this acts as an indication that this information will remain between the two individuals
Social Penetration theory + Breadth and depth definitions
-Altman and Taylor suggest that as a relationship between individuals develop, the breadth and depth of interpersonal communication increases from a shallow level to a more intimate level
BREADTH:breadth is the type of topic that can be discussed, some areas of discussion may not be appropriate until later on in the relationship
DEPTH: depth is the level of information about a topic that can be revealed e.g some information may be emotionally painful
Reciprocity
-A relationship will only develop if both individuals are active in disclosing information and responding in an appropriate way
Attribution (question motivation)
-Individuals consider the motivation behind self disclosure
-A person that is seen to disclose to anyone, is seen as less attractive than someone who discloses to just us because they view us as special
Appropriateness of self disclosure
-While revealing more information as the relationship goes on is healthy for the development of the relationship, revealing too much information too early (TMI) can have the opposite effect, sometimes resulting in lower attraction
Research evaluation (longitudinal observation Sprecher and Hendrick 2004)
-Sprecher and Hendrick (2004) used a longitudinal observation watching the self disclosure between couples on dates
-They found similar levels of self disclosure between men and women and a positive correlation between levels of self disclosure and measures of quality of the relationship (satisfaction, commitment and love)
-This supports the theory that self disclosure is reciprocal and both individuals need to share information about themselves
This also suggests that the level of self disclosure is linked to the level of attractiveness between romantic partners
However negative evaluation about the Sprecher and Hendrick study + other correaltional studies on self disclosure
-However, this study and most of the research done on self disclosure is correlational
There may not be a causal relationship between self disclosure and attractiveness or instead of disclosure causing attraction, we may just self disclose more to people we are attracted to
Cultural Bias of self disclosure theories
-The theory that increased levels of attractiveness between romatic partners and increased levels of self disclosure may be an example of cultural bias, a reflection of individualistic Western ideas
-Findings by Tang (2013) suggests that in the collectivist societies of China, there are higher levels of relationship satisfaction with lower levels of self disclosure
Social Penetration Theory
-Social penetration theory describes the process of self disclosure going from shallow levels of self disclosure to deeper levels, as the person reveals more information
-According to social penetration theory , as each layer is revealed the relationship gets stronger
Superficial self disclosure
-Superficial self disclosure might include details about where someone lives, their job, their hobbies
-Superficial self disclosure can have some breadth but not depth
Intimate self disclosure
-Intimate self disclosure may include a person’s aspirations, previous relationship history etc
Personal self disclosure
-This goes deeper into hopes and dreams, mistakes made in the past, insecurities etc
Core self disclosure
core self disclosure has a lot of depth and includes information that is buried deep in the layers of their psyche e.g their innermost fears, things they feel guilty or embarrassed about, things that may risk rejection with their partner
Social Comparison Theory
-Social comparison theory describes the ways that individuals may evaluate their own self worth and values by comparing themselves with others
Types of comparison
-Upwards comparison occurs when someone belives that others (or specifically their partner) are superior to them e.g bettwe looking, smarter, richer etc
-Downwards comparison occurs when someone belives that o others (or specifically their partner) are inferior to them e.g less attractive, less intelligent and poorer
Why may someone disclose information about themselves according to social comparison theory
-A person may disclose information about themselves to a current or potential partner in order to gauge their reaction e.g “are they impressed”
-Someone may make disclosures about their achievements which could lead to self validation if the person being disclosed to respons with praise and admiration
-A person could disclose information about their beliefs and values in order to determine how similar or different they are to the other person and whether or not the beliefs are acceptable or not
