Effects of Unanticipated Self-Disclosure on Recipients of Varying Levels of Self-Esteem: A Research Note

Assuming that another’s self-disclosure can be rewarding, it was hypothesized that attraction for one who disclosed a relatively high amount of personal information would be greater than attraction for a low discloser when the disclosure was perceived as being appropriate. Also, it was hypothesized that persons of high self-esteem may be more attracted to a high discloser than persons of moderate or low self-esteem. An experiment examined the effects of a confederate’s self-disclosure (high or low degree of personal content) on a recipient. Greater attraction was demonstrated toward the confederate in the low disclosure condition, and her behavior was perceived to be more appropriate in this condition. Persons who participated in each of the experimental conditions were divided into three self-esteem categories. Those with intermediate levels of self-esteem were found to be the most receptive to a disclosing other, followed by subjects of low, and finally high self-esteem.