Reasons for,and consequences of,revealing personal secrets in close relationships: A longitudinal study |
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| Authors: | John
&#x;&#x;&#x;&#x;&#x;&#x;P Caughlin Walid
&#x;&#x;&#x;&#x;&#x;&#x;A Afifi Katy
&#x;&#x;&#x;&#x;&#x;&#x;E Carpenter‐Theune Laura
&#x;&#x;&#x;&#x;&#x;&#x;E Miller |
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| Institution: | John
P. Caughlin,Walid
A. Afifi,Katy
E. Carpenter‐Theune,Laura
E. Miller |
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| Abstract: | This investigation examines whether individuals’ reasons for keeping secrets predict whether they eventually reveal those secrets and whether individuals can accurately anticipate the outcomes of revealing. Respondents (n= 342) first reported on a secret they were keeping and then returned 2 months later to report whether they had revealed it and, if so, what happened when they did. Findings indicated that participants’ reasons for keeping a secret predicted whether they revealed it. The results also indicated both accuracy and inaccuracy in secret tellers’ expectations of the outcomes of revealing a secret. Finally, despite some demonstrable inaccuracies in the forecasted outcomes, participants’ retrospective accounts after revealing suggested that participants typically believed that they had accurately predicted the consequences of revealing. |
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