Make your verbal and nonverbal messages the same. Check your understanding of the message with the speaker. Define self-disclosure and explain why it is important to adjustment. Self-disclosure is the voluntary act of verbally communicating information about oneself to another person. Summarize the evidence on who tends to disclose what to whom and under what circumstances.
Females tend to be more openly self-disclosing than males.
In some situations, men may be more prone to self-disclosure than women, especially when dealing with strangers. Individuals quickly give biographical information, where they live, their age, education, etc., but are reluctant to divulge inner fears or insecurities. People will reveal socially desirable things like their memberships, but will not reveal a conviction for tax evasion. Social penetration theory focuses on how relationships develop and, sometimes dissolve . It predicts that gradual changes occur as relationships develop.