ABSTRACT
Self-disclosure is one of the most researched topics of the past three decades in the fields of interpersonal communication, social psychology, and social and personal relationships. However, as the chapters in this volume demonstrate, important and interesting research questions continue to emerge. Existing research traditions have been moved forward in interesting directions, and new lines of inquiry have been advanced. Using these chapters as a springboard, our goal in this concluding chapter is to identify some possible directions for future research on balancing disclosure, privacy, and secrecy. Our comments are grouped into five major points: taking the concept of balance seriously, decentering the sovereign self, moving beyond target intimates, developing theory, and enlarging the methodological tool kit.
