Choices & Connections (with /LaunchPad – Six-Month Access)

by Steven McCornack, and Joseph Ortiz
Copyright 2020, MacMillan Publishing

ISBN – 978-1319314385

ANSWER

Managing interpersonal relationships

The layers of self-disclosure

There are five layers of self-disclosure. The first level is where people discuss facts and information which are safest to share. These are not very personal issues but general issues that cannot have any harm to an individual.  The second level is the discussion of the thoughts that others have.  This involves giving the other party the space to talk about their own information and share what they feel free to share about themselves and other general issues (McCornack & Ortiz, 2020).  The third level involves discussion of a person’s own thoughts and opinions. In this level, a person starts to take a stand and revealing more about him/herself. The stage entails disclosing his/her opinions on specific issues, for example, favorite movies and songs which are fascinating to watch. The fourth level entails discussing one’s own feelings by revealing the truth about him/herself, and how he/she feels about the other party. The final level, which is the riskiest, is where one discuses about feelings about the relationship between one and the person, he/she is engaging.

Layers most appropriate for the first date

For the first date, the most appropriate layers are the first two. This includes sharing about general topics, without getting very personal with the other party. For the two layers, one does not have to disclose much information about themselves, hence reducing the risk of oversharing, which may have negative consequences for the first date.  The other remaining layers are very risky for the first date, since one may share to private information to a new person, without fully knowing his capabilities, or what the person is likely to do with such private information.

References

McCornack, S., & Ortiz, J. (2020). Choices & Connections. MacMillan Publishing.