Associations between behavior, attitudes, and abilities in the context of secrecy: An empirical investigation

Secrecy, defined as the intentional concealment of personal information, is a widespread yet understudied phenomenon. This study aimed to shed light on individual differences in secrecy by introducing two novel scales to assess one’s ability to keep secrets and one’s attitude toward secrecy. An online survey was administered, encompassing the Common Secrecy Questionnaire (CSQ) alongside the newly developed Secrecy Ability Scale (SAB) and Secrecy Attitude Scale (SAT), complimented by various additional scales in light of convergent and discriminant validity. Confirmatory factor analyses confirmed the proposed factor structure for both the SAB and SAT. Reliability and correlational analyses indicated satisfactory internal consistency, convergent and discriminant validity, and 6-month test-retest reliability for both scales. Notably, 97% of participants acknowledged harboring at least one secret, with an average of 17 secrets reported per person. Common experiences kept as a secret included lying to someone, having romantic desires about someone while being single, and withholding certain family details. Additionally, respondents overall reported a high level of ability to keep secrets and held a moderately positive attitude toward secrecy. Taken together, these findings significantly enhance our understanding of how behavior, ability, and attitude shape the dynamics of secrecy, paving the way for future research and interventions.