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Intergroup Interaction and Self‐Disclosure 1
Author(s) -
Stephan Walter G.,
Stephan Cookie White,
Wenzel Brenda,
Cornelius Jeffrey
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
journal of applied social psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.822
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1559-1816
pISSN - 0021-9029
DOI - 10.1111/j.1559-1816.1991.tb00476.x
Subject(s) - outgroup , ingroups and outgroups , psychology , social psychology , self disclosure , anxiety , developmental psychology , psychiatry
Two studies were designed to test hypotheses concerning self‐disclosure during initial interactions with ingroup or outgroup strangers. Based on intergroup anxiety theory it was predicted that ingroup members would disclose less to outgroup strangers than to ingroup strangers. One study involved interaction with handicapped and nonhandicapped confederates and one involved interaction with Caucasian and Black confederates. It was found that on some dimensions there was less self‐disclosure to outgroup than ingroup strangers during initial interactions. Additional data suggested that high levels of public self‐awareness and perceived dissimilarity also reduced some aspects of self‐disclosure.