Friendship 271
Situational Variables
Situational variables also affect self-disclosure.
Studies have shown that men’s levels of self-
disclosure can be increased if they are moti-
vated to self-disclose. In one study, researchers
manipulated whether participants believed
there was the possibility of a future interaction
with the other person in the experiment (Shaf-
fer, Pegalis, & Bazzini, 1996). The investigators
predicted that men would be especially likely
to self-disclose to women if they believed there
was the possibility of a future interaction. They
also expected this effect would be strongest for
traditionally masculine men.
Shaffer and colleagues (1996) had un-
dergraduates work on a first task with a part-
ner and then led them to believe they would
be working on a second task with or without
their partner. This was the manipulation of
future interaction. The initial task was dis-
cussing four different topics (the most im-
portant decision I ever made, sacrifices I
made for others, aspects of personality I dis-
like, past and present things of which I am
ashamed) with a stranger who was really a
confederate. Conversations were audiotaped
and evaluated by two raters for intimacy of
self-disclosure. Women were more intimate
when they disclosed to female than male tar-
gets. Men’s self-disclosure was influenced by
their masculinity scores, the sex of the tar-
get, and the possibility of future interaction.
As shown in the right panel of Figure 8.7,
men who scored high on masculinity self-
disclosed more to female than male targets
when there was the possibility of a future in-
teraction (PFI). When there was no possibil-
ity of a future interaction (NPFI; left panel
FIGURE 8.7 Men who score high on masculinity are motivated to self-disclose to a fe-
male they have just met and with whom they have the possibility of forming a relationship.
High-masculine men self-disclosed more intimately to a female than a male target, only when
there was the possibility of a future interaction (PFI). Where there was no possibility of a fu-
ture interaction (NPFI), high-masculine men’s disclosures were equally intimate toward a male or
female target.
Source: Shaffer, Pegalis, and Bazzini (1996).
Male Target
NPFI
(a)
Female Target
Intimacy of Disclosures
11.0
11.5
12.0
12.5
13.0
13.5
14.0
14.5
+
+
Low-Masculine Men
High-Masculine Men
Male Target
PFI
(b)
Female Target
Intimacy of Disclosures
11.0
11.5
12.0
12.5
13.0
13.5
14.0
14.5
+
+
M08_HELG0185_04_SE_C08.indd 271 6/21/11 8:12 AM