Self-Disclosure
in Relationships
By Hana
Mustafa
This
clip from the TV show “Cheers” shows one example of how self-disclosure works
in a relationship. In the book it states that the “reciprocity of disclosures”
is important in a relationship (Wood, 2013, p. 198) . It’s important
because people are more willing to disclose sensitive information about
themselves to someone else if that person also discloses something and this is
because we feel vulnerable.
In
this clip Carla tells Sam about feeling like a slut because she slept with a
guy named Paul. Sam tries to point out to her that she’s had sex with plenty of
other guys before and so this Paul guy is no big deal in comparison, since Carla
has a reputation for being promiscuous and many children to prove it. Seeing
that he wasn’t getting anywhere that way Sam disclosed a secret of his own to
establish more trust in their friendship and making himself vulnerable along
with her in her self-disclosure. Sam then reveals that he wears a taupe and
Carla is so shocked by the secret and the fact that he was willing to reveal it
that she completely forgot about how vulnerable she was feeling before.
Works Cited
Wood, J. T. (2013). Interpersonal Communication:Everyday Encounters. Boston, MA:
Wadsworth.
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