Themes in the Study of Self-Disclosure

Few areas of psychological investigation have attracted people from as many different disciplines as the study of self-disclosure. Social psychologists, clinical and counseling psychologists, specialists in interpersonal communication, and others have all been drawn to some extent to this topic. What types of information and feelings do people disclose about themselves? How do people disclose? When do people disclose? What types of people disclose? What are the effects of disclosure on the individual disclosing and on the relationship he or she has with the person disclosed to? How is disclosure related to psychological problems, and what role does it play in therapy? These are only some of the questions that have concerned those interested in self-disclosure and, as is apparent, the questions cut across a large number of specialty areas.