Decisions about self-disclosure-whether to reveal one's thoughts, feel ings, or past experiences to another person, or the level of intimacy of such disclosure-are part of the everyday life of most persons. The nature of the decisions that a person makes will have an impact on his or her life. They will determine the kinds of relationships the person has with others; how others perceive him or her; and the degree of self knowledge and awareness that the person possesses. The study of self-disclosure has interested specialists from many disciplines, including personality and social...

Explores the interaction between psychosocial considerations, social support and public attitudes in both individual and professional responses to HIV.

Self-disclosure is a major factor in the development, maintenance and deterioration of a relationship. This volume explores how individuals negotiate with their relationship partners: what, where, when and how they communicate personal feelings and thoughts.

Among the issues examined are: how close relationships and self-disclosure are mutually transformative; how subcultural differences between men and women influence self-disclosure in relationships; how the vulnerability and risk associated with disclosing personal information leads partners to be concerned about privacy regulation; and...

Gender and Close Relationships deals wirh gender and its possible effects on aims and behaviour in close relationships: dating, romantic and sexual partnerships, marriage and friendship. The authors warn their readers that they should bot be looking at why there are gender differences, but at whether, when and under what conditions. The book starts with the explanatory concepts that have been found useful in considering these questions. The authors suggest two dimensions of explanations for gender differences: one dimension involves structural (social roles and expectations) versus individual...

A neglected topic in the field of personal relationships has been the study of friendships. Social psychologists have studied how and why individuals are attracted to one another and the processes of interaction during initial encounters, but they have not paid much attention to ongoing friend- ships. A major goal of the present volume is to develop theories and integrate research on the development and maintenance of friendships. Another major goal is to build bridges between social psychologists and other social scientists by presenting an interdisciplinary approach. Although a majority of...