Sex Differences in Self-Disclosure, Reciprocity of Self-Disclosure, and Self-Disclosure and Liking: Three Meta-Analyses Reviewed

Three issues have dominated the literature on self-disclosure. They are: sex differences in self-disclosure, reciprocity of self-disclosure, and self-disclosure and liking. The purpose of this chapter is to review three meta-analyses of self-disclosure: Dindia and Allen’s (1992) meta-analysis of sex differences in self-disclosure, Dindia and Allen’s (1995) meta-analysis of reciprocity of self-disclosure, and Collins and Miller’s (1994) meta-analysis of self-disclosure and liking. 1 review the results of these meta-analyses and consider their implications for the issue of balancing disclosure, privacy, and secrecy.