self disclosure Flashcards
(10 cards)
Why is self disclosure important?
In the early stages of a relationship, we love to learn as much as we can about our new partner, and the more we learn about them, the more we seem to like them.
By revealing ourselves to another person, we share our likes and dislikes, our hopes and fears, our interests and attitudes. We share what truly matters to us. Our partner understands us better, and we understand them.
What is the theory involved w this? and who by
social penetration theory - ALTMAN AND TAYLOR
What is social penetration theory
Self disclosure is the gradual process of revealing your inner self to someone else, of giving away your deepest thoughts and feelings.
Involves RECIPROCAL EXCHANGE of info between intimate partners, when one partner reveals personal info, they display trust so the other feels ok to reveal stuff too.
As they increasingly disclose more and more info, romantic partners ‘PENETRATE’ more deeply into each others lives.
2 elements of self disclosure?
breadth and depth.
what is breadth
e onion analogy is used here to describe the superficial facts we reveal at the start of the relationship which are like the ‘outer layers’ of an onion. This is low-risk info we would reveal to anyone. The breadth of disclosure is narrow.
This is because many topics are ‘off limits’ in the early stages of a relationship. Revealing too much information might threaten the relationship before its even had a chance to get going.
depth?
As the relationship develops, self disclosure becomes deeper, revealing more and more layers to reveal our true selves.
Eventually we reveal intimate, high-risk information e.g. painful memories and experiences, strongly-held beliefs, powerful feelings, even perhaps secrets
Reciprocity - reis and shaver
Once you reveal something close to you, hopefully your partner will respond in a way that is rewarding, with understanding and empathy and also their own intimate thoughts and feelings. So there is a balance of self-disclosure between both partners in a successful romantic relationship. Feelings are increased and the relationship deepens.
Hass and Stafford
found that 57% of gay men and women in their study said that open and honest self disclosure was the main way they maintained and deepened their committed relationships.
real life application.
cultural differences - TANG
One weakness however of self-disclosure is that it is culturally bias.
E: For example, Tang et al. (2013) reviewed the research literature regarding sexual self-disclosure (disclosure relating to specific sexual practices). They concluded that men and women in the USA (individualist) self-disclosed significantly more sexual thoughts and feelings than men and women in China (collectivist). Both these levels of self-disclosure are linked to relationship satisfaction in those countries.
E: This is a weakness because it shows that the prediction that increasing depth and breadth of self-disclosures will lead to a more satisfying and intimate romantic relationship is not true for all cultures. To a large extent, it depends on the type of self-disclosure.
L: As a result, self-disclosure is a limited factor affecting romantic relationships, based on findings from western (individualist) cultures, which is not necessarily generalisable to other cultures. This means that this claim is ethnocentric.
Correlation no causation
However, one issue with self-disclosure is that it involves correlational research.
E: For example, Sprecher and Hendrick (2004) used a correlational analysis to investigate a potential relationship between satisfaction levels in a romantic relationships and self-disclosure.
E: this is a weakness because although it assumes self-disclosure does result in more satisfaction, a correlation does not tell us if this is a valid conclusion to draw. There could be a third variable such as physical attraction, financial interest or sharing same interests in life that constitute the relationship deepening and being maintained.
L: as a result, not only the validity of Sprecher and Hendrick’s research is questioned, but also the validity and explanatory power of self-disclosure as a factor in romantic relationships overall.
