Relationships - Factors affecting attraction: Self-Disclosure Flashcards
What is self disclosure?
It refers to the information we choose to reveal about ourselves within a romantic relationship.
What is the aim of self disclosure?
The aim is to increase the intimacy, understanding and empathy between two individuals. This is under the condition that the self-disclosure is reciprocal.
Who proposed the idea of ‘social penetration’
Altman and Taylor
What does ‘social penetration’ suggest?
Suggests that the process of self disclosure allows one person to penetrate deeper into the life of their partner, thus increasing intimacy and trust. However, it is important to be selective with what one chooses to disclose,
What analogy is used by researchers to illustrate social penetration theory?
An onion analogy has been used. As the relationship progresses, more layers of the onion are removed, representing deeper and more meaningful information being disclosed. This is only likely if the exchange of such information is reciprocal i.e the other person showing empathy, understanding and revealing details about themselves.
According to Reis and Shaver, what are the two elements of the social penetration theory?
Depth and breath
What type of correlation is there between the increasing quality and trust within a relationship?
Positive correlation, coinciding with increasing depth and breadth of revealed information.
What do high levels of breadth result in?
Results in low levels of depth due to many topics being ‘off limits’, thus reducing the emotional impact and empathy shown by the other person This is the kind of information we could disclose to strangers, colleagues etc.
What is the key to maintaining a developing and intimate relationship?
Key is to balance between depth and breadth, through the reciprocal self-disclosure of information from both parties.
What are the limitations of the idea of self disclosure?
- Methodological issues with correlational studies, causal conclusions cannot be made. There might be a ‘third variable problem’.
- Most research doesn’t distinguish between romantic and friendly relationships
- It is unlikely that partner selection is based on disclosure, could be other factors
What are the strengths of the concept of self disclosure?
+ Real life practical advantage . Hass & Stafford studied ‘intimate couples’ and found that 57% use SD to maintain it. Supports use of therapies for couples who struggle with intimacy.
+ Lannerceau et al. Diary entries of married couples. Found that high levels of intimacy correlated with high levels of SD.
Explain research support for the importance of self-disclosure
A meta-analysis by Collins and Miller supports the central role that self-disclosure plays in the development and maintenance of romantic relationships. They found that people who engage in intimate disclosures tend to be liked more than people who disclose at lower levels , and people like others as a result of having disclosed to them. It was also found that the relationship between disclosure and liking was stronger if the recipient believed that the disclosure was shared only with them rather than being shared indiscriminately with others.
What cultural differences are there in patterns of self-disclosure?
In the West, people typically generally engage in more intimate self-disclosure than do non-Westerners , Americans, for example, disclose more than do Chinese or Japanese. Cultural norms also shape how comfortable men and women are in self-disclosing . It was found that Japanese men prefer high levels of disclosure than women. This is opposite to the self-disclosure patterns typically found in the West, where women prefer more disclosure than do men. This suggests that the importance of self-disclosure as an aspect of attraction is moderated by the influence of culture.
