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Overview There are two dimensions to self-disclosure: breadth and depth. Both are crucial in developing a fully intimate relationship. The range of topics discussed by two individuals is the breadth of disclosure. The degree to which the information revealed is private or personal is the depth of that disclosure. It is easier for breadth to be expanded first in a relationshiop because of its more accessible features; it is our outer layers of personality and everyday lives, such as occupations and perferences. Depth is more difficult to reach given its inner location; it includes painful memories and more unusual traits that we might try to hide from most people. This is why reveal ourselves most and discuss the widest range of topics with our spouses and love relationships with the opposite sex.

Reciprocity/Intimate Relationships Self-disclosure usually influences whether two people will want to interact again. Research has shown that when one person self-discloses, another person is more likely to self-disclose. This is called reciprocity. There are two types of reciprocity, turn-taking reciprocity and extended reciprocity. Turn-taking is when partners immediately self-disclose with one another and extended is when disclosure happens over a period of time. Reciprocity can be explained by the social exchange theory, which explains that people attempt to maintain equality in self-disclosure because an imbalance in this makes them uncomfortable. Research has also shown that people who self-disclose are more likely to report liking the other person, feeling close and similar to them and enjoying their company. Reciprocity can also increase feelings of intimacy if the person disclosing feels understood and valued by their partner. Research also shows that emotional disclosures increase intimacy more than factual disclosures. The transition from sharing impersonal to personal facts is crucial to the building of an intimate relationship. One must feel accepted in order to feel comfortable enough to self-disclose. Without acceptance, one partner will withdraw and fail to reveal personal facts within the relationship. Sharing our selves also brings us out of our imaginary worlds and allows us to see the realities of the world we live in. We are most comfortable sharing with those whom we like and feel like us. There is also evidence that someone who introduces himself with more intimacy is more likely to facilitate self-disclosure and intimacy with the recipient. Thus, self-disclosure breeds intimacy. This is why reveal ourselves most and discuss the widest range of topics with our spouses and love relationships with the opposite sex.

Further, people first disclose facts, then emotions and disclose mostly positive information in early stages of a relationship.More disclosures of unpleasant feelings led to less marital satisfaction in recent studies of marital satisfaction, and disclosure is affected the minute a relationship is stressed, as feelings of less attachment to a spouse promote decreased self-disclosure. Less intimacy leads to more negative disclosures. However, findings by Tolstedt and Stokes (1984) suggest that the depth of self-disclosure actually increases as the intimacy of a relationship decreases. The breadth of disclosure decreased with decreasing intimacy as originally predicted, but couples actually disclosed more deeply. It is speculated that these results came about because a strained relationship causes spouses to restrict their topics of communication (breadth, but that they are also more willing to discuss deeply intimate subjects: negative ones. Thus, while they were sharing more deeply, it was mostly in a negative light. The researchers then speculated that people might actually avoid disclosing very personal facts in the most satisfying relationships because they are fearful that their positive relationships will be negatively affected.

Several factors have been studied to see how they affect one's likelihood to self-disclose. Being shy decreases self-disclosure. Among men, those who are or appear more "tough" are less likely to disclose and express themselves. One's mood, positive or negative, also affects how he or she reveals information. A positive mood has been found to increase disclosure, though it can also be said that being distressed, anxious, or fearful (which would be classified as negative mood states) can accelerate disclosure as well. The exception to this is loneliness, for lonely individuals have shown decreased rates of self-disclosure. Motivation for disclosure is also critical: does the individual need to present himself or herself in a certain way in order to gain certain benefits, and does the self-disclosure match the person's sense of ideal self? We like to present ourselves in ways that we feel are congruent with our own self-concepts, and what we tell others about ourselves often becomes how we actually are. Whether or not one sex shares more readily is a heated debate in social psychology, but it has been found that sex-role identities play a large part. Androgynous people have been found to disclose more intimately across contexts than did notably masculine and feminine people.

In therapy, nearly every school of thought is in agreement that self-disclosure is a necessary element of therapeutic technique. Self-disclosure by the therapist is often thought to facilitate increased disclosure by the client, which should result in increased understanding of the problem at hand. It helps to acknowledge the therapeutic relationship as a fundamental healing source. An alliance between client and therapist is founded on self-disclosure from both parties. In some respects it is similar to modeling appropriate social behavior. Establishing common interests between therapists and clients is useful to maintain a degree of reality.

It is useful to discuss personal matters for a variety of reasons. One will often see his or her disclosure in a more positive perspective if it is shared with someone else. It is thought that disclosing the details of a traumatic experience can greatly help with the organization of related thoughts and is healing in the process of retelling itself. An understanding between therapist and client is achieved when the client can share his or her perceptions without feeling threatened by judgments or unwanted advice. Further, expressing emotions lessens the tollof the autonomic nervous system and has been shown in several studies to improve overall physical health in this way. The disclosure need not be verbal to be advantageous, as writing about truamas and positive experiences alike has been seen to produce less psychological and physiological distress. The PPennebaker Writing Disclosure Paradigm is a commonly used method in therapy settings to facilitate writing about one's experiences. Exposure theory also offers support in that reliving and talking about a negative event should help the negative affect be more accepted by the individual overtime through extinction.

Studies have also shown the disadvantageous effects of keeping secrets, for they serve as stressors over time. Concealing one's thoughts, actions, or ailments does not allow a therapist to deal with the problem. Unwanted, recurrent thoughts, feelings of anxiousness and depression, sleeping problems, and many other physiological, psychological, and physical issues have been seen as the results of withholding important information from others.

The atmosphere in which the therapy takes place in crucial too. Research shows that "soft" architecture and decor in a room promotes disclosure from clients. This is achieved with rugs, framed photos, and mellow lighting. It is thought that this environment more closely imitates the setting friends would share feelings, and so the same might be facilitated between counselor and client. Further, a room should not be too crowded nor too small.