Psychological Reports, 1975, 37, 320. @ Psychological Reports 1975
SEX DIFFERENCES AND RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN REPRESSION-SENSITIZATION AND SELF-DISCLOSURE G O R D O N J. CHELUNE' University of N e v d a , Reno The Repression-Sensitization (R-S) scale was originally intended to measure two different defensive styles for coping with threatening stimuli (Byrne, 1961). Recent studies, however, have suggested that sensitizers are possibly merely more willing to admit their emotionality than are repressors (Scarperti, 1 9 7 3 ) . Within the interpersonal sphere a common protective strategy is the selective revelation o r self-disclosure of personal information about the self on an intimate basis. Whether the R-S scale actually reflects an approach-avoidance coping dimension or whether it merely assesses one's attitude toward the expression of emotionality, one might still expect the scale to be related to self-disclosure since both deal with the expression of certain aspects of self. T h e relationship between the R-S scale and a measure of self-disclosure intimacy, the Self-disclosure Situations Survey, was examined for a sample of 38 females and 41 males. The survey2 has 20 different social situations equally divided into 4 groups of 5 items according to one of the following four target persons involved: Friend, Group of Friends, Stranger, and Group of Strangers. While sex differences were not observed for the R-S scale and the survey when subjects were examined individually, such differences emerged in the patterns of correlation between the two scales by sex. Male sensitizers tended to be low disclosers ( T = - . 3 9 ) , whereas female sensitizers tended to be high disclosers ( r = . 2 9 ) . The difference between these two coefficients was significant (p ,001) and suggests rhat self-disclosure plays a differential role in the defensive t'ehavior of males and females. Sex differences were also found for each target group. Hokanson's research o n aggression ( 1 9 7 0 ) has demonstrated that any response which serves to avoid, reduce, o r turn off noxious stimulation from others will acquire reinforcing properties. Within the scope of the present findings, one can infer that females, sensitized to potential threat in the interpersonal environment have learned rhat they can gain control over noxious stimuli and possibly elicit help from friends if they make themselves more vulnerable by disclosing themselves more fully. Such a coping strategy for males would be incongruent with the male role as stereorypically defined. Thus, male sensitizers must attempt to protect themselves in threatening interpersonal situations by selectively revealing personal information on a less intimate basis, thereby maintaining safer interpersonal distances.
SEX DIFFERENCES AND RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN REPRESSION-SENSITIZATION AND SELF-DISCLOSURE G O R D O N J. CHELUNE' University of N e v d a , Reno The Repression-Sensitization (R-S) scale was originally intended to measure two different defensive styles for coping with threatening stimuli (Byrne, 1961). Recent studies, however, have suggested that sensitizers are possibly merely more willing to admit their emotionality than are repressors (Scarperti, 1 9 7 3 ) . Within the interpersonal sphere a common protective strategy is the selective revelation o r self-disclosure of personal information about the self on an intimate basis. Whether the R-S scale actually reflects an approach-avoidance coping dimension or whether it merely assesses one's attitude toward the expression of emotionality, one might still expect the scale to be related to self-disclosure since both deal with the expression of certain aspects of self. T h e relationship between the R-S scale and a measure of self-disclosure intimacy, the Self-disclosure Situations Survey, was examined for a sample of 38 females and 41 males. The survey2 has 20 different social situations equally divided into 4 groups of 5 items according to one of the following four target persons involved: Friend, Group of Friends, Stranger, and Group of Strangers. While sex differences were not observed for the R-S scale and the survey when subjects were examined individually, such differences emerged in the patterns of correlation between the two scales by sex. Male sensitizers tended to be low disclosers ( T = - . 3 9 ) , whereas female sensitizers tended to be high disclosers ( r = . 2 9 ) . The difference between these two coefficients was significant (p ,001) and suggests rhat self-disclosure plays a differential role in the defensive t'ehavior of males and females. Sex differences were also found for each target group. Hokanson's research o n aggression ( 1 9 7 0 ) has demonstrated that any response which serves to avoid, reduce, o r turn off noxious stimulation from others will acquire reinforcing properties. Within the scope of the present findings, one can infer that females, sensitized to potential threat in the interpersonal environment have learned rhat they can gain control over noxious stimuli and possibly elicit help from friends if they make themselves more vulnerable by disclosing themselves more fully. Such a coping strategy for males would be incongruent with the male role as stereorypically defined. Thus, male sensitizers must attempt to protect themselves in threatening interpersonal situations by selectively revealing personal information on a less intimate basis, thereby maintaining safer interpersonal distances.
