Relationships : Attraction Self - Disclosure Flashcards
What is self disclosure
Self-disclosure is a factor affecting attraction in romantic relationships. It refers to the sharing of personal information. Greater self-disclosure tends to lead to greater levels of intimacy , and research has found that individuals tend to prefer people who are prepared to disclose intimate details about themselves, compared to those who are unwilling to disclose.
What is the social penetration theory ?
Social Penetration Theory proposed by Altman and Taylor (1973). This theory claims that by gradually revealing emotions and experiences and listening to their reciprocal sharing, people gain a greater understanding of each other and display trust.
What is the ‘onion metaphor’?
- Self-disclosure has two dimensions: breadth and depth. Social Penetration Theory uses an ‘onion metaphor’ to describe these dimensions: at first, people often share a lot of information about certain aspects of themselves (depth), but consider some topics to be ‘off-limit’ (breadth).
- As they build trust in their partner’s understanding, breadth increases and then depth also increases. In the beginning, people only disclose superficial details about themselves, such as their music taste, hobbies and interests, and gradually move to revealing more intimate details, such as religious and political beliefs, family values and difficult experiences.
What was the Sprecher and Hendrick study?
The concept of self-disclosure has been investigated in numerous studies. For example, SprecherandHendrick(2004) studied heterosexual couples who were dating, and found that as self-disclosure increased, so did relationship satisfaction. This was supported by another study of dating couples, conducted by Laurenceau et al. (2005).
- They asked participants to write daily diary entries about progress in their relationships and found that self-disclosure and perception of disclosure in a partner led to greater feelings of intimacy in a couple. The reverse was true as well – couples who complained about lack of intimacy self-disclosed less often.
What was the Sprecher (2013) study into self disclosure?
- Aim: To investigate the role of reciprocal self-disclosure in relationships
- Method: 156 American University Students, female-female or male-female dyads in a Skype conversation.
• Condition 1 – self-disclose in a reciprocal manner, taking turns to ask questions
• Condition 2 - self-disclosure was not reciprocal, one disclosed while the other listened. - Results: Condition 1 participants reported a greater liking, closeness, similarity and enjoyment to one another compared to Condition 2
- Conclusion: Reciprocity of self-disclosure has positive outcomes for romantic relationships
Strengths/Support of Self-Disclosure
Hass and Stafford (1998)
- 57% of gay men and women said that open and honest self-disclosure was the main way they maintained and deepened their committed relationships
- Self-disclosure research allows for individuals to improve on their own personal relationships – real-life application
Limitations of Self-Disclosure
Tang et al (2013)
• Prediction of self-disclosure leading to more romantic relationships might not be applicable to all cultures
• Men and women in the USA (individualist) self-disclose significantly more sexual thoughts/feelings than men and women in China (collectivist)
• Self-disclosure is based on Western romantic relationships
Satisfaction
• Other theories state that couples discuss and negotiate the state of their relationship, involving deep self-disclosure conversations
• However, these may not be enough to save a relationship
• May contribute to a relationship breakdown
Correlation vs Causation
• Self-Disclosure research is mainly correlational
• But a correlation does not mean there is a valid conclusion to be made – other factors contribute to a relationship
