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Intimacy of self-disclosure, availability of reaction to disclosure, and formation of interpersonal relationships

University of British Columbia

One hundred twenty female subjects between the ages of 17 and 24 were asked to disclose information to a stranger peer of the same sex. The information they disclosed was either non-personal, personal non-intimate, or personal intimate. Additionally, each pair of subjects was assigned to one of two availability of reaction groups; in one group, the subjects were instructed to provide a specific verbal reaction to each of their partner's disclosures; in the other availability of reaction group, the subjects were instructed to provide no reaction at all. Measures of interpersonal attraction were taken after each pair of subjects had interacted. Analysis of variance revealed significantly greater interpersonal attraction between the subjects instructed to provide specific reactions than between those subjects instructed not to react. Significantly greater interpersonal attraction was also found between subjects disclosing personal intimate information than between subjects disclosing non-personal information, and the scores of the subjects disclosing personal non-intimate information fell between those of the other two intimacy of information groups.

Text

2011-03-30

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http://hdl.handle.net/2429/33096

Psychology

University of British Columbia

Graduate