self disclosure

Question 1

what are the three elements of self-disclosure

Answer 1

• social penetration theory
• breadth and depth of social disclosure
• reciprocity of self-disclosure

Question 2

what is self disclosure

Answer 2

the sharing of personal information about the self which leads to increased attraction

Question 3

outline self disclosure

Answer 3

the gradual process of revealing your inner self to someone
- reciprocal exchange of deeper information

Question 4

what is breadth of self disclosure

Answer 4

at the start of a relationship when we disclose low risk information with other

Question 5

why does breadth occur before depth

Answer 5

if we reveal too much about ourselves too soon this can reduce the attractiveness of a person

Question 6

what is depth

Answer 6

the exchange of high risk information such as painful memories as the relationship develops and self disclosure becomes deeper

Question 7

why is it important that self disclosure is reciprocal

Answer 7

an empathetic emotional response increases attraction causing increased intimacy in a relationship making it more likely to be maintained

Question 8

a strength of self disclosure is the supporting evidence from sprecher and hendrick

Answer 8

• longitudinal study of mainly white middle class heterosexual dating couples using questionaires and found strong correlations between measures of satisfaction and self disclosure
• both men and women that selfdisclosed and believed their partner did were more satisfied with and committed to their relationship than those who did - this is a strength as it supports the claims of self disclosure theory
• therefore their findings support that self disclosure plays a large part in relationship satisfaction and adds validity to its claims

Question 9

a limitation of self disclosure is that the research evidence is correlational

Answer 9

• research such as sprecher and hendricks research is correlational and doesnt establish causation
• this is a limitation as evidence doesnt enable us to conclude self disclosure causes a partner to be seen as attractive but could be due to another factor such as perceived similarity
• factors other than high levels of self disclosure may explain why some romantic relationships are successful and others fail
• therefore there is only weak evidence for the social penetration theory of factors affecting attraction in romantic relationships and its likely that several factors play a role in attraction to a potential partner

Question 10

a strength of research into self disclosure is that it can offer practical applications

Answer 10

• it can help people who want to improve communication in their relationships and strengthen their romantic bond with their partner
• hass and strafford found that 57% of gay men and women in their study said that open and honest self disclosure maintained and deepened their relationship
• this is a strength as it shows that the theory can help less skilled individuals whose communication is limited to small talk to deepen their relationships by using self disclosure effectively
• then this can bring benefits to their relationship in terms of satisfaction
• therefore effective applications in relationship counselling suggests that self disclosure leads to more satisfying relationships and is therefore valid
• demonstrates the value of psychological insight in real life application

Question 11

a limitation of self disclosure theory is that its effectiveness varies depending on how partners met

Answer 11

• research by dating platforms found that a third of relationships between 2015-2019 started online
• there are differences in the levels of self disclosure over the internet compared to face to face relationships
• individuals over the internet are anonymous which may lead to them revealing more information about themselves
• boom and bust phenomenon
• relationships get very intense quickly (boom)
• however because of the underlying trust and knowledge of the other person are not there to support the relationship it becomes difficult to sustain (bust)
• this is a limitation as self disclosure theory doesnt consider these relationships that start online and by 2035 if current trends continue more people will meet their partner online than offline
• therefore a large number of people are being ignored in such theories and self disclosure differs depending on how partners have met.