Perceptions of self-disclosure as a function of gender-linked variables

One hundred and sixty raters with either an androgynous, masculine, or feminine sex role orientation judged the intimacy and commonness of masculine and feminine self-disclosures attributed to either men or women speakers. Feminine disclosures were rated as significantly more intimate and more common than masculine disclosures. Masculine disclosures made by women were rated as significantly less common than either feminine disclosures by women, or masculine or feminine disclosures by men. Although rater sex role orientation had no significant effects, physical gender did. Female raters judged all disclosures as more intimate than male raters. Implications for future research are discussed.We express our appreciation to Camille DeBell, to the late JoAnn Mantovani, and to Christine Robitschek for their assistance in this research.