The relationship of self-disclosure to personality, adjustment and self-actualization

This study tested the hypothesis that a high level of self-disclosure is indicative of psychological adjustment and self-actualization. The self-disclosure scale, Social Avoidance and Distress, Fear of Negative Evaluation, Alienation and Repression-Sensitization scales were administered to 60 Ss. The results for all scales indicated that a high level of disclosure was associated with adjustment as measured by these scales. A second group of 94 Ss completed the self-disclosure scale and the Personal Orientation Inventory, a measure of self-actualization. The results indicated that high disclosers compared to low disclosers had achieved a higher level of self-actualization. That is, there were significant correlations between self-disclosure and measures of self-actualization such as Time Competence, Internal Support, Existentiality, Self-Acceptance and Capacity for Intimate Contact.