Contextual supports for autonomy and the development of high-quality relationships following mutual self-disclosure

Abstract

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Rochester. Dept. of Clinical and Social Sciences in Psychology, 2010.The importance of close, caring, and mutually supportive relationships for the promotion of personal wellness and healthy social functioning is generally accepted within psychology (Baumeister & Leary, 1995). An integral process in the development of high-quality relationships is self-disclosure (Collins & Miller, 1994), which refers to revealing information about oneself to another in a sustained, escalating, and mutual way that gradually increases in depth and breadth (Altman & Taylor, 1973). Of interest is whether the motivational climate in which mutual self-disclosure occurs would affect the development of relationship closeness between strangers. Guided by self-determination theory (SDT; Deci & Ryan, 1985, 2000; Niemiec, Ryan, & Deci, 2010; Ryan & Deci, 2000; Vansteenkiste, Niemiec, & Soenens, in press), the present research addressed this issue by examining whether contextual supports for autonomy (relative to controlling contexts) promote relationship quality following mutual self-disclosure. Autonomy, which literally means self-governance, refers to the experience that behavior is enacted with a sense of ownership, volition, and reflective self-endorsement. Operationalizing the provision versus deprivation of autonomy in several ways and using a variety of self-reported and behavioral measures of closeness, the results of four experimental studies provided strong evidence to suggest that contextual supports for autonomy affect the development of high-quality relationships following mutual self-disclosure. Specifically, receipt of a monetary reward (relative to no reward; Studies 1 and 4) and ego-involvement (relative to task involvement; Study 3) had adverse effects on both self-reported and behavioral measures of relationship quality following mutual self-disclosure, whereas provision of choice (relative to no choice; Study 2) had a salubrious effect on relationship well-being. In line with the tenets of SDT, autonomy need satisfaction experienced during the mutual self-disclosure task either partially or fully explained (mediated) several of the effects of experimental condition on relational wellness. Such findings support the SDT claim that the basic psychological needs for autonomy and relatedness are complementary and, indeed, fundamental to motivation (Ryan & Powelson, 1991) and the development of authentic relationships (Ryan, 1991)