Decision-Making and Self-Disclosure

Abstract

Self-disclosure, defined in part in terms of personal privacy, serves as one bridge between the private side of our `selves' and others to-whom we relate. The direct investigation of self-disclosure is problematic. However, the investigation of decision-making about self-disclosure provides an alternative means of studying this interface between privacy and personal relationships, one which minimizes the risk of self-presentation. In a study employing an ethogenic method, participants were able to give coherent accounts of their decision-making. Risk was a major factor in decision-making, such that some decisions were made prior to the interaction, some were initiated during the interaction, and others were made only after an invitation to disclose. Three important features distinguishing the decisions were `intent', `focus' and "response expectation'. Intent was differentiated as (1) the discloser's problem, (2) information about the discloser, and (3) responding to the recipient's problem. The foci were whether the disclosure referred to the discloser alone or to discloser and a third party (extra-dyadic), or to the discloser in relationship with the recipient (interpersonal). Response expectations were systematically related to those features. All interpersonal decisions were taken prior to the interaction, implying greater perceived risk. The decisions were substantially guided by the relational rules: `be loyal' and `minimize risk'. A framework is presented for the examination of self-disclosure as episodic, rule-guided behaviour embedded within the context of relationships.