Self-disclosure and acculturation within the United States East Indian community /by Karmjot Grewal.

Over the past 30 years, studies on social groups and cultural influences have helped researchers understand the conditions in which people confide and withhold personal information. The purpose of this study was to study self- disclosure with a focus on the difference between East Indians and non East Indians. The present study examined whether a sample of 76 second generation East Indian Americans living in the United States scored lower than 81 non East Indians on the revised Magno Self Disclosure questionnaire. It was also examined if East Indians who scored higher on the Suinn Lew Self Identity Acculturation scale would score higher on the Magno Self Disclosure scale. East Indian participants did score significantly lower on the measure of self-disclosure than non East Indians and East Indians who scored higher on the self-disclosure measure scored significantly higher on acculturation to Western United States practices. Results indicate that East Indians tend to self-disclose less information than non East Indians, but those who are more acculturated disclose more, indicating their practices more closely follow American groups cultural and social norms