Self-disclosure
Encyclopedia
Self-disclosure is both the conscious and subconscious act of revealing more about oneself to others. This may include, but is not limited to, thought
s, feeling
s, aspiration
s, goals, failure
s, successes, fear
s, dream
s as well as one's likes, dislikes, and favorites.
Typically, a self-disclosure happens when we initially meet someone and continues as we build and develop our relationship
s with people
. As we get to know each other, we disclose information about ourselves. If one person is not willing to "self-disclose" then the other person may stop disclosing information about themselves as well.
In a counseling session, the patient or client does the "self-disclosing" while the counselor, or therapist listens. The goal is to help the client see things from different perspectives. This allows the client to see and evaluate options he or she may not have thought about, which may give the client more power when making important life
decisions
. There are several relationship perspectives in self-disclosing information in a counseling session. That of patient to therapist, therapist to patient, supervisor to supervisee, and supervisee to supervisor. Each of these relationships affects the tendency to disclose personal information. The clinical space available for patients to disclose should be far broader than that of the therapist.
Self-disclosure is an important building block for intimacy
, intimacy can not be achieved without it. We expect self-disclosure to be reciprocal and appropriate. Self-disclosure can be assessed on an analysis of cost and rewards which can be further explained by social exchange theory
. Most self-disclosure usually occurs early in relational development, but more intimate self-disclosure occurs later. Male
and female
differences in self-disclosure are mixed. Women self-disclose to enhance a relationship where men self-disclose relative to control and vulnerability. Men initially disclose more in heterosexual relationships. Women tend to put more emphasis on intimate communication with same sex friends than men do.
In social penetration theory, an onion model a of personality is used. The onion is made up of four layers: surface, periphery, intermediate layer, and central layer. As information is disclosed, the layers of the onion are further peeled. And the more information comes from the center or core of the onion, the greater is the development of the relationship. The information that corresponds to surface of the personality includes things that are clearly visible such as sex, race, and age. The peripheral layer contains information that is ordinarily disclosed through small talk when one first encounters another person. Here we are talking about one's name, occupation, hometown, interests, etc. At the intermediate level, the information that is given is about things that are not always shared with everyone. It is somewhat personal but not secret information. At the central level, the information is disclosed with caution and it is private.
It is helpful to remember that self-disclosure is a complex notion. In Anais Nin's diary, she reflects on the huge value of her journal in the light of her belief that happiness with human beings is precarious. She adds that she doesn't often feel in the mood to confide and that the slightest hint of indifference is enough to stop her from disclosing any more. Clearly, negative experiences with others can lead us to feel that telling others about our inner thoughts and wishes is just too risky and uncomfortable. On the other hand, we long for friends who can confirm our value, we enjoy the feeling of closeness with others, and relationships with others can transform us in positive ways.
Thought
"Thought" generally refers to any mental or intellectual activity involving an individual's subjective consciousness. It can refer either to the act of thinking or the resulting ideas or arrangements of ideas. Similar concepts include cognition, sentience, consciousness, and imagination...
s, feeling
Feeling
Feeling is the nominalization of the verb to feel. The word was first used in the English language to describe the physical sensation of touch through either experience or perception. The word is also used to describe experiences, other than the physical sensation of touch, such as "a feeling of...
s, aspiration
Aspiration
Aspiration may refer to:In linguistics:*Aspirated consonant, a plosive pronounced with a strong burst of air*Debuccalization, the conversion of a consonant to [h] or [ʔ]*Voiceless glottal fricative In engine technology:...
s, goals, failure
Failure
Failure refers to the state or condition of not meeting a desirable or intended objective, and may be viewed as the opposite of success. Product failure ranges from failure to sell the product to fracture of the product, in the worst cases leading to personal injury, the province of forensic...
s, successes, fear
Fear
Fear is a distressing negative sensation induced by a perceived threat. It is a basic survival mechanism occurring in response to a specific stimulus, such as pain or the threat of danger...
s, dream
Dream
Dreams are successions of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. The content and purpose of dreams are not definitively understood, though they have been a topic of scientific speculation, philosophical intrigue and religious...
s as well as one's likes, dislikes, and favorites.
Typically, a self-disclosure happens when we initially meet someone and continues as we build and develop our relationship
Interpersonal relationship
An interpersonal relationship is an association between two or more people that may range from fleeting to enduring. This association may be based on limerence, love, solidarity, regular business interactions, or some other type of social commitment. Interpersonal relationships are formed in the...
s with people
People
People is a plurality of human beings or other beings possessing enough qualities constituting personhood. It has two usages:* as the plural of person or a group of people People is a plurality of human beings or other beings possessing enough qualities constituting personhood. It has two usages:*...
. As we get to know each other, we disclose information about ourselves. If one person is not willing to "self-disclose" then the other person may stop disclosing information about themselves as well.
In a counseling session, the patient or client does the "self-disclosing" while the counselor, or therapist listens. The goal is to help the client see things from different perspectives. This allows the client to see and evaluate options he or she may not have thought about, which may give the client more power when making important life
Life
Life is a characteristic that distinguishes objects that have signaling and self-sustaining processes from those that do not, either because such functions have ceased , or else because they lack such functions and are classified as inanimate...
decisions
Decision making
Decision making can be regarded as the mental processes resulting in the selection of a course of action among several alternative scenarios. Every decision making process produces a final choice. The output can be an action or an opinion of choice.- Overview :Human performance in decision terms...
. There are several relationship perspectives in self-disclosing information in a counseling session. That of patient to therapist, therapist to patient, supervisor to supervisee, and supervisee to supervisor. Each of these relationships affects the tendency to disclose personal information. The clinical space available for patients to disclose should be far broader than that of the therapist.
Self-disclosure is an important building block for intimacy
Intimate relationship
An intimate relationship is a particularly close interpersonal relationship that involves physical or emotional intimacy. Physical intimacy is characterized by romantic or passionate love and attachment, or sexual activity. The term is also sometimes used euphemistically for a sexual...
, intimacy can not be achieved without it. We expect self-disclosure to be reciprocal and appropriate. Self-disclosure can be assessed on an analysis of cost and rewards which can be further explained by social exchange theory
Social exchange theory
Social exchange theory is a social psychological and sociological perspective that explains social change and stability as a process of negotiated exchanges between parties. Social exchange theory posits that all human relationships are formed by the use of a subjective cost-benefit analysis and...
. Most self-disclosure usually occurs early in relational development, but more intimate self-disclosure occurs later. Male
Male
Male refers to the biological sex of an organism, or part of an organism, which produces small mobile gametes, called spermatozoa. Each spermatozoon can fuse with a larger female gamete or ovum, in the process of fertilization...
and female
Female
Female is the sex of an organism, or a part of an organism, which produces non-mobile ova .- Defining characteristics :The ova are defined as the larger gametes in a heterogamous reproduction system, while the smaller, usually motile gamete, the spermatozoon, is produced by the male...
differences in self-disclosure are mixed. Women self-disclose to enhance a relationship where men self-disclose relative to control and vulnerability. Men initially disclose more in heterosexual relationships. Women tend to put more emphasis on intimate communication with same sex friends than men do.
Understanding self-disclosure in intimate relationship
There are several important factors that influence self-disclosure and the state of the relationship, such as the relational definition, time, way of explaining each other's behavior, degree of affection, reciprocity, and goals. The dimension of time is especially interesting because social penetration theory assumes that relationships increase in intensity in a gradual and orderly manner. This orderly progression resembles the shifting messages from superficial to more intimate and the move toward a broader range conversation topics that take place over time. But linear progress in a single direction is only one pattern of relational development. Research has shown that for some couples, the early period of openness is followed by a quick decline in self-disclosure. There are also long-term marriages in which greater and greater disclosure is followed by a leveling off of disclosure and perhaps decline. And still another pattern is when people click right away so that disclosure occurs quickly rather than in gradual fashion.In social penetration theory, an onion model a of personality is used. The onion is made up of four layers: surface, periphery, intermediate layer, and central layer. As information is disclosed, the layers of the onion are further peeled. And the more information comes from the center or core of the onion, the greater is the development of the relationship. The information that corresponds to surface of the personality includes things that are clearly visible such as sex, race, and age. The peripheral layer contains information that is ordinarily disclosed through small talk when one first encounters another person. Here we are talking about one's name, occupation, hometown, interests, etc. At the intermediate level, the information that is given is about things that are not always shared with everyone. It is somewhat personal but not secret information. At the central level, the information is disclosed with caution and it is private.
It is helpful to remember that self-disclosure is a complex notion. In Anais Nin's diary, she reflects on the huge value of her journal in the light of her belief that happiness with human beings is precarious. She adds that she doesn't often feel in the mood to confide and that the slightest hint of indifference is enough to stop her from disclosing any more. Clearly, negative experiences with others can lead us to feel that telling others about our inner thoughts and wishes is just too risky and uncomfortable. On the other hand, we long for friends who can confirm our value, we enjoy the feeling of closeness with others, and relationships with others can transform us in positive ways.