Centre for Policy on Ageing



Patterns of self-disclosure across social support networks — elderly, middle-aged, and young adults
Author(s)	Rhonda G Parker, Roxanne Parrott
Journal title	International Journal of Aging and Human Development, vol 41, no 4, 1995
Pages	pp 281-298
Keywords	Personal relationships ; Social interaction ; Social contacts ; Age groups [elderly] ; Middle aged ; Adults ; United States of America.
Annotation	This study examines the use of four functions of self-disclosure by older, middle aged and young adults: self-expression, self-clarification, social control, and social validation. Findings support the claim that greater intergenerational distance is related to less self-disclosure among members of a social network. Older adults self-disclose more often to family than to friends, while young adults self-disclose to friends more often than to family. Implications for self-disclosure within the areas of gender, social support, and social comparison are discussed, and the appropriateness of adults' disclosure patterns within a framework of life stages is considered.
Accession Number	CPA-970731203 A
Classmark	DS: TMA: TOA: BB: SE: SD: 7T
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing

...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing.