RELATIONSHIPS - factors affecting attraction: Self- Disclosure

Question 1

what is self disclosure?

Answer 1

revealing personal information about yourself to romantic partner as relationship develops.
- self disclosures about ones deepest thoughts and feelings and can strengthen romantic bond when used appropriately.

Question 2

who proposed social penetration theory?

Answer 2

Altman and Taylor (1973)

Question 3

what is social penetration?

Answer 3

• gradual process of revealing your inner self to someone else
• giving away your deepest thoughts and feelings
• reciprocal exchange of feelings.
• displays trust
• romantic partners gain a deeper understanding of each other

Question 4

what are the two elements of self disclosure and explain them?

Answer 4

Breadth and depth =
as they increase, partners are more committed to each other.
initially = disclose low risk info that we tell everyone
eventually = disclose high risk info

Question 5

what is depenetration?

Answer 5

• dissatisfied partners self disclose less as they gradually disengage from the relationship

Question 6

what is reciprocity of disclosure?

Answer 6

Reis and Shaver (1988) = for a relationship to develop and to increase breadth and depth, there needs to be a reciprocal element to disclosure.
there must be a balance to self disclosure between both partners in a successful romantic relationship = increases intimacy and deepens relationship

Question 7

give the strengths of research into self disclosure?

Answer 7

+ Sprecher and Hendrick (2004) = found strong correlations between several measures of relationship satisfaction and self disclosure. Those who believed that their partners self disclosed felt more satisfied and committed with their partners.
= relationships are closer when self disclosure is reciprocal = increases validity of the theory that SD leads to satisfying relationship

+ RWA = help improve communication in relationships. Romantic partners use SD to increase intimacy and strengthen their bond. This increases the value of research into self disclosure.

Question 8

give the limitations of research into self disclosure?

Answer 8

• most self disclosure research is correlational (S+H)
  = but a correlation does not tell us if it is valid to say ‘greater self disclosure creates more satisfaction’. It might be = more satisfied partners self disclose more. = self disclosure may not cause satisfaction directly = reducing validity of social penetration theory of self disclosure.
• not true for all cultures that increasing breadth and depth leads to more satisfying and intimate romantic relationship
  = Tang et al (2013) =concluded than men and women in the US self disclose more significantly than men and women in china. Although there were lower levels of SD in china, levels of satisfaction weren’t different = SD is a limited explanation because it is based on findings from individualist cultures which are not generalisable for other cultures.