Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Self-Disclosure In Intimate Relationships: Associations With Individual And Relationship Characteristics Over Time, Susan K. Sprecher, Susan S. Hendrick

Faculty Publications—Sociology and Anthropology

Self-disclosure is an act of intimacy and serves as a maintenance strategy, and yet very little prior research has examined self-disclosure within relationships with data collected multiple times over an extended period of time and from both partners. With longitudinal data collected from both partners in young adult dating couples, we examined how self-disclosure is associated with both individual characteristics (e.g., responsiveness, self-esteem) and relationship characteristics (satisfaction, love, commitment). Overall, men and women indicated a similar high level of self-disclosure. As hypothesized, positive associations were found between self-disclosure and the individual characteristics of self-esteem, relationship esteem (confidence as an intimate …