Driven to Disclose: The Psychological Antecedents and Outcomes of Information Sharing
The act of disclosing thoughts, feelings, and information to others has become increasingly prevalent – and the disclosures themselves more public and permanent – in the digital age. This behavior is accompanied by an array of consequences, from the psychological pleasures of social connection and catharsis to the perils of rejection and reputational or material damage. The present dissertation explores this highly consequential behavior from three distinct vantage points. The first paper addresses the question of how best to model disclosure in order to account for actual disclosing behavior (Chapter 2). The second paper investigates whether different subpopulations (namely, men and women) are differentially motivated to disclose and exhibit distinct disclosing patterns (Chapter 3). Finally, the third paper focuses on the expected and actual outcomes of disclosing in a specific context – anonymous online forums – and the contextual features of this setting that mediate any psychological benefits accrued from such disclosures (Chapter 4).
History
Date
2023-05-13Degree Type
- Dissertation
Department
- Social and Decision Sciences
Degree Name
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)