Rules, risk and self-disclosure

The notions of rules and risk are inextricably involved with self-disclosure in counselling and in personal relationships. A hundred single British male under-graduates were asked to rate 120 self-referent items in terms of whether, if that item were true of them, they would like or dislike that aspect of themselves; and then to assess the degree of risk that might be entailed in disclosing it to a close male friend, a close female friend, a male acquaintance, and a female acquaintance. The characteristics most positively valued included happiness, health, heterosexuality, agood' job, and getting on well with others (including parents). In general, subjects anticipated greater risk in disclosing negative than positive characteristics, though there were some exceptions. The degree of friendship with the recipient of the disclosure appeared to lessen the anticipated risk of disclosure, while the sex of the disclosee generally made only a marginal difference. The findings are discussed in terms both of students' self-esteem and also of their relevance to counselling. Additionally, the social exchange implications of positive and negative self-disclosure are considered.