Perceptions and reactions to men and women self-disclosing loneliness

The purpose of this study was to examine perceptions and reactions to videotaped portrayals of male and female characters shown self-disclosing or not self-disclosing feelings of loneliness. Forty male and forty female volunteer college students participated in the study. Ratings of the characters were obtained for: 1) psychological adjustment, 2) likability, 3) causal attributions, and 4) personal acceptance (as acquaintance, coworker and close friend). The data were analyzed using multivariate and univariate analyses of variance.Findings1. Manipulation checks provided evidence for the effectiveness of the high-low self-disclosure manipulation.2. The analyses showed that there were no significant differences due to sex of participant or character, nor due to level of loneliness disclosure as measured by the above mentioned four scales.3. Supplementary analyses considering the three acceptance scales separately revealed that participants indicated significantly less difficulty in accepting as a close friend the highly self-disclosing male, as compared to: a) the low self-disclosing male, and b) the highly self disclosing female.Conclusions1. The findings suggest there may be fewer negative consequences for self-disclosure of loneliness by males than implied by prior research in the general area of self-disclosure.2. All other things being equal, that is, adjustment, likability, attributions and overall acceptance, females highly disclosing loneliness may be less accepted as close friends than males exhibiting the same behavior. Research is needed to clarify whether high disclosure of loneliness runs contrary to sex-role expectations for females.In light of the above findings, recommendations for further research were made. Measuring participants' attributions on the motivation of characters self-disclosing loneliness was highly recommended.Thesis (Ph. D.