What is Self-Disclosure?

Self-disclosure, when broken down to its roots reveals two words, the word "self" which means the total, essential and practical being of an individual and the term "disclosure" which means the speech act of making something evident (Free Dictionary). Even though one might argue that everything one does will in one way or another reveal something about one's self, in this context, self-disclosure is limited to the mere act of revealing personal information about one's self solely through saying it, intentionally. The act of self-disclosure according to Wikipedia "may include but is not limited to expressing one's thoughts, feelings, aspirations, goals, failures, successes, fears, dreams as well as one's likes, dislikes and favorites."

To Disclose or Not to Disclose? That is the Question.

As much as this article would like to elaborate on the other aspects of self-disclosure, I will limit the scope as to when to and not to disclose one's self to another. Of course, the act of self-disclosure involves human beings not inanimate objects (duh?) or else that will not be self-disclosure.

Before anything else I would like to emphasize something. Self-disclosure will often reveals information that is highly valued, very deep and important about the sender. Why do I have to emphasize this? Because this article would like to emphasize the importance of information, personal or not, significant or insignificant, information itself is the base of which all decisions are made. So, every time a person discloses their self to another, information is being sent, and depending on the information and depending on the other party, decisions will be made, inevitably. This may be good or bad. Therefore, it is very crucial to have at least have an idea on when one should or should not disclose himself to another because unwittingly, that person is already deciding for the future, their future, you future, or the future of the relationship.

What are some things we have to consider before we disclose ourselves?

For some general guidelines on how to disclose ourselves, just check out another article on my profile at Associated Content entitled Guidelines to Self-Disclosure.