Lesson 3 - Self Disclosure Flashcards
self disclosure
the revealing of personal and intimate thoughts, feelings + info about ourselves to another person
= occurs when there is sufficient trust established between two people
- people tend to reveal more personal info to people that they like
- people who self-disclose are seen as likeable, kind + trustworthy
factors affecting the success of self-disclosure + attraction
- appropriateness
- attribution for self-disclosure
- gender differences
- content
appropriateness - factors affecting the success of self-disclosure + attraction
self-disclosure may not always be appropriate e.g. on a first date, seen as over the top, lead to judgment
attribution for self-disclosure - factors affecting the success of self-disclosure + attraction
reasons why someone is self-disclosing info to us
gender differences - factors affecting the success of self-disclosure + attraction
- we might expect females to self-disclose more info than males
- however if a male discloses info to a female, may be seen as rewarding for females
content - factors affecting the success of self-disclosure + attraction
- self disclosure of highly intimate info, might be seen as inappropriate
- so can decrease attraction levels
- attraction is stronger when self-disclosure is at a medium level + balanced
ads of self disclosure
- first date
- cross cultural importance
- quantity over quality
- gradual
disads of self disclosure
- other factors
- quantity over quality
- BOOM/BUST
first date - ads of self disclosure
research conducted supports theory of self disclosure
= found that self disclosure on the first date can be inappropriate + didn’t increase attraction levels
- person who was self-disclosing was seen as maladjusted + not very likeable
cross cultural importance - ads of self disclosure
research evidence to support the idea of self disclosure across different cultures
- investigated Japanese + American students in relationships
- found that self-disclosure was high for Japanese + American students in heterosexual romantic relationships
= therefore self disclosure is an important factor in romantic relationships + is cross cultural
quantity over quality - ads/ disads of self disclosure
research evidence found that the AMOUNT of self disclosure that a person receives, is the most important factor, rather than what they give
- this contradicts the idea of reciprocal self-disclosure + focuses on the info that people receive from others self-disclosing info to them
other factors - disads of self disclosure
self disclosure can be criticised because it seems unlikely that attraction of a potential partner is reliant on self-disclosure alone
- self disclosure is important but other factors are also needed e.g. attraction, similarity etc..
gradual - ad of self disclosure
- research support for the fundamental concepts of self disclosure being a gradual process = affects attraction
- e..g reality TV series like Big Brother show some contestants who have self disclosed lots of info early in the show
- viewers liked this
- but still preferred the contestant who self disclosed gradually
- this mirrored relationships in real life
BOOM/BUST - ad/ disad of self disclosure
- research supporting self disclosure has found that relationships formed over the internet
= involves high amount of self disclosure + attraction when compared to face to face
= cus individuals can be more anonymous
= feel more comfortable self-disclosing lots of info - psych devised ‘BOOM or BUST’ theory
= people self-disclose info earlier than they would if they were meeting someone f2f
= relationship can get intense very quickly (boom)
= or may be difficult to sustain the relationship as it has moved too quickly (bust)
findings - self disclosure research study by Sprecher
- showed that reciprocal self disclosure leads to more:
- liking
- closeness
- perceived similarity
- enjoyment of interaction
- than those in non-reciprocal group
= shows that reciprocal self disclosure is very important in terms of attraction
= positive forming of relationships
