Race, Gender, Socioeconomic Status and Self-Disclosure

An experiment was performed to assess how gender, race ·, and socioeconomic status influence self-disclosure. ~b.ese three :factors were investigated by having the participants rate their degree of' self-disclosure to each parent and to a. male friend and female friend. The Jourard Self-Disclosure Questionaire was,:. used •. The subjects consisted of' eighty college stud ·ents, twenty · white males, twenty white females, twenty black males, and twenty · black females. All subjects were enrolled at two Rhode Island Colleges and were tested in a group by an examiner of the same. sex and race. The results were analyzed using a 2 x 2 x 2 analysis of' variance test. . This consisted . of' 2 (male, female) x 2 (black, white) x 2 (upper socioec9nomic status, lower socioeconomic status). A significant di:f':f'erence in the reported rates of' .tetal self-disclosure by sex (F = 4. 9J, df' =(1,72) p(.05) was :f'ound, with females disclosing . morethan males. A significant sex . x race interac .tion was also found (F = 7.75 (df': l,72), p<.01). A simple e:f':f'ects test found that white · :f'emales ·disclosed more than black :f'emalesa but black · and white males do not diff .er in their total self-disclosure. The results were also analyzed using a 2 x ~ x 2 x 4 analysis of' variance (gender x race x socioeconomic status x targets) to measure the di:f':f'erence 1 . in rates of' selfdis closure to .di:f':f'erent target persons. A significant difference in self-disclosure to different target persons was :f'ound. (F = 20.52, d:f' = (J,216) -p<.001). A significant target by socioeconomic status interaction was round (F = J.48 (d:f' = J,216), p(.05). A ~uo~ . :f'~liow~ lilp~.test revealed that there was a significant difference in subject•s self-disclosure to father compared to the · other targets. A significant sex x race x target interaction was also found in the 2 x 2 x 2 x 4 ANOVA • . (F = 2.84, (df= J,216), p(.05). Differences were found in self-disclosure ii


The results
were also analyzed using a 2 x ~ x 2 x 4 analysis of' variance (gender x race x socioeconomic status x targets) to measure the di:f':f'erence 1 . in rates of' selfdis closure to .di:f':f'erent target persons. lilp~.test revealed that there was a significant difference in subject•s self-disclosure to father compared to the · -other targets.
Differences were found in self-disclosure ii rates of white male and female subjects for certain targets. Wlhite females disclosed at · a significantly higher rate to a female friend target 1 and a male friend target than white males. - The sex x race x target interaction also revealed a significant difference in disclosure rates of the black male and female subjects for certain targets (F = 5.43, (df = 1,250) pc.05).
Black males disclosed more to a female friend than did ·black females. .
In summary, :r:there was a significant effect for s·ex and for targets.
For sex, The overall group of females disclosed mQre than the overall group of males. For targets, . white females disclosed · more to a male fm,iend, a female friend, and· mothe · r target person than. did black femal.es.
Black and white males did not differ in their self-disclosure to any . of the targets.
The significant interaction be. tween sex x race x target also showed· that white females -disclosed more to a · male . friend than did white males :. Black males disclosed .
at · a greater ·rate than black females to a femare ·fr i end. The remaining interactions were not significant.
To· determine werther · a relationship exists between self-disclosure, to a parent and.the attractiveness of the parent as measured by the Parent Cathexis Questionaire, the correlation between the overall self-disclosure score to each. parent and. the score on the parent cathexis questionaire for each parent was computed. The overall score for self-disclosure to father · correlated significantly with the father cathexis scale, r= -.46, p<.001. The overall score for self-disclosure to mother did not co~relate significantly with the mother cathexis scale r = -.15, ns.
An important implication that we may draw from this study, is that · black females disclose less tham white females to several target persons.
If decis -ions and . counsel are grounded in lack of self-disclosure from black female students, · to a counselor, then the decisions may not be very helpful.
Perhaps the low self-disclosure rate of s·ome black students may be an important factor that accounts for a high college attrition rate.  Graph of mean self-disclosure scores to four target persons by students classified by sex arld race ...... ~ ......
J. Graph of mean ·self-disclosure scores to four target persons by students classified  Jourard, 1958Jourard, , . 1971). Jourard (1958Jourard ( , 1971  Jourard's (.1958,1971)  These types of men are : continually alert and tense and their personality mask is a kind of work which requires : a lo~ of stress and energy to · maintain. Such , stress, he hypothesizes, is one : of the main reasons why men are less empatheti~ than women and why men die sooner than women.
Al though J ourard has succeeded in finding differences in self-disclosure rates be . tween males and femal es and between races, none of his major research studies , adequately analyzed -the relationship be -tween gender, . race, and social class. The interrelationship of · these . variables . and how they _ each affect one"s . w-illingness · to self-disclose to specific targe -t . persons has not been stud.ied.

SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS AND SELF-DISCLOSURE
A study by Wolkon, Moriwaki, and Williams (1973)  A great d~al of research needs to be done ' in this area.
TARGET-OF SELF-DISCLOSURE Jourard (1958Jourard ( , 1971  The predictions to be tested are as follows, 1. Female college students will disclose more about themselves than will male college students.
2. White college students will' disclose more about themselves than will black college students.
J. Upper socioeconomic status students will disclose more about themselves than will · lower socioeconomic status college students.  Jourard (1958Jourard ( , 1971 which made specific predictions were based on small samples , and these studies were also conducted many years ago. Also, the current information on the amount of disclosure to specific targets is not extensive enough for making predictions about the targets of disclosure.
The present investigation will therefore just document what is happening with out making specific predictions about the amount of disclosure to specific targets.
The Parent Cathexis Questionaire will also be used ~he rating score of "X" means that these are items which you would not confide to the person even if that person asked you to reveal the information.
Write an "X" instead of an "0' for these items.
Following this, the group of subjects were · asked if they had : ·any;, :qu~1't · ans --; about how to fill out the question-  The predictions relative to self-disclosure were as followss 1. Female college students will disclose more ~bout thems~lves than will male college students; 2.
White college students will disclose more . about themselves than will black c allege students ; and 3. .High socioeconomic status students will disclose more about themselves than l ow socioeconomic status students.

JJ
The data were first analyzed in .a 2 x 2 x 2 analysis of variance (male, female; black, white; low socioeconomic status, high socioeconomic status) to measure the expected differences in rates of ·selfdisclosure.   :f-emale · tr.iend · self-dis .closure -scorea to -· :tour · target persons . by studen . ts classified by sex . and race. · lilack . S.tudents -    Total self-disclosure sc9res to four target persons by students, classified by sex and race. combined ·. Examination of the means of _ t?e upper socioeconomic status subjects by a Tu.key proceedure revealed that:. there were : significant differences in -subjects self-disclosure . to f:ather compared to the o*her target .

persons.
The: mean self-disclosure score to female friend is significantly-higher than to al1 the · other target persons.
Target by· socioeconomic status differences are · shown in_ figure 4.
A. significant sex .
x race x target interaction was found in the 2 x 2 x 2 r 4 analysis of variance. A. s1mple effects test found that · se~~disclosur& rates v~ried. for ali target .
Differences were -f ' ound in self-dis · closure · rates of white male and femal~ subjects for certain targets.
White females disclosed at a significantly higher ra . te . . to . a female friend ' target and a male friend target than white males. Np· significant differences were found in ·self-disclosure ·to . mother or father target persons for · the combined white subjects. (See Figure 2.) The sex x. race x target interaction also revealed a significant difference in disclosure rates of the black male and female subjects for certain targets.
Black males disclosed more to a female friend target than did black females.
No other significant differences were found in selfdisclosure. (See Figure . J.) The In . swimary, . there . wa~ a significant effect for sex and for · targe -ts ., For · ser, . th& __ overall group of females disclosed more than the · overall group of" males. For targets, white females disclosed more to a male friend, a female friend, and mother target -person than did black females. Black and white males did not differ in their self-disclosure to any of the targets.
The significant interaction between sex x race x target also showed that white females disclosed more to a female friend and a male friend than did white males.
Black 'males disclosed at a greater rate than black females to a female friend. The remaining interactions were not significant. To determine werther a relatlonship exists between self-disclosur~ to a parent and the attractiveness of the parent · as measured by the Parent Carthexis Questionaire, the correlation between the overall self-disclosure score to each parent and the score on the parent cathexis questionaire for each parent was computed. The overall score for -self-disclosure to father correlated significantly with the father .cathexis scale, r = -.46, p(.001.
The overall score for self-disclosure to mother did not correlate significantly with the mo~er cathexis scale r = -.15, ns.

DISCUSSION
As in earlier studies (Jourard, 1957(Jourard, , 1971) a significant . sex difference was found in this _investigation. The combined group of female subjects self-disclosed more than male subjects ·6' This finding is also consistent with .other findings on sex differences and self-disclosure (Casciani, 1973;Dimond, 1979).

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The main effect for race was not significant; however a sex x race interaction indicated a significant difference in disclosure rates of the combined group of black females when compared to the combined group of white · females. A simple ef:f'ec.ts test found that whi.t . e females disclosed more than. black females ... This finding supports the prediction that whites will disclose more than blacks (Jourard, 1957(Jourard, , 1971 their peers then to their parents, and they · disclosed · least of' all to their · f'ather (Jourard, 1971 ).. For males, f'ather was· th . e least disclos · ed to; and the remaining three targets were disclosed to in a rank order tha . t has previously been f'ound f'or college students, specif'ically in descending orders f'emale f'riend, mother, . male f'riend, and father ·.. These rankings are very similar to Jourard •s earlier rankings and they are interesting · because theys-how that. students o-r. this age range pref'er to disclose -more outside the f'amily · than within .. A target x sex x race interaction was significant.
White females disclosed more to male friend and female friend than did whlte males. ·. Black males · also disclosed more to a ·:f"emale friend than did black females.
The significant correlation between self-disclosure to father and father cathexis was suprising; and it suggests that if father is liked, he is dlsclosed to more. The nonsignificant finqings for mother suggests that mother·is disclosed to at a high rate whether or I I not she is liked. Jourard (1971) and Dimond (1950) argue that women and mothers in particular are most typically socialized toward the assumption of nurturing · roles withm the traditional social system. They feel that this may be why mothers are more empathetic than fathers.    The other person fully knows me as I now am in this respect because i have talked about this topic to him fully in the recent past, and things have not changed.
I have kept him ful.ly informed about this aspect of me.
The · Forty-Item Self-Disclosure Questionaire t. What you dislike about your overall appearence.
2. The-· things about your appearer-ice that you like most or are proudest of.
18. The kinds of music you enjoy listening to the most.
19. The subjects you did not or do not . like at schooi. · 20. Whether · or not you do anything . special to maintain or improve your appearence, e.g.,, diet, . exercise, . etc.
21. The kind of behavior in others · that most annoys you or makes you furious •. Encircle · a 2 for those aspects of your mother about , w~ich you have some positive feeling but not as strong as in category 1. J• Have no feeling one way or the other.
Encircle a J for those aspects of your mother about which you. have no feeling at all. For example, if' you have no feeling at all about your mother's artistic talents {or lack of them), encircle the J after that _item.
4a Have moderate negative feelings.
En.circle a 4 for those aspects of your mother about which you have some negative feeling but not as strong as that -in category 5.
5a Have strong negative feelings. E:ncircl~ a 5 for those aspects of your mother which you dislike very much or which cause you to feel unhappy when you think about them. For example, . if you think that your mother is intolerant and this disturbs you when you think about it or if you feel unhappy about this trait in •your mother, encircle the 5 after that item.