Self-concealment is a psychological construct defined as "a predisposition to actively conceal from others personal information that one perceives as distressing or negative".[1] Its opposite is self-disclosure.[1][2]

The concealed personal information (thoughts, feelings, actions, or events) is highly intimate, negative in valence and has three characteristics: it is a subset of private information, can be consciously accessed, and is actively concealed from others. Self-concealment significantly contributes to negative psychological health.

Historical context

edit

Secrets and secret keeping have been a longstanding interest of psychologists and psychotherapists.[3] Jourard's[4][5] work on self-disclosure and Pennebaker's research on the health benefits of disclosing traumatic events and secrets set the stage for the conceptualization and measurement of self-concealment.

Jourard's research pointed to the conclusion that stress and illness result not only from low self-disclosure, but more so from the intentional avoidance of being known by another person. In a later line of research, Pennebaker[6][7] and his colleagues examined the confiding-illness relation or the inhibition-disease link and found that not expressing thoughts and feelings about traumatic events is associated with long-term health effects. Pennebaker attributed the unwillingness to disclose distressing personal information to either circumstances or individual differences. The self-concealment construct, and the scale for its measurement, the Self-Concealment Scale, were introduced to permit assessment and conceptualization of individual differences on this personality dimension.

Psychological effects

edit

Self-concealment uniquely and significantly contributes to the prediction of anxiety, depression, and physical symptoms.[1] Subsequent research has examined the effects of self-concealment on subjective well-being and coping, finding that high self-concealment is associated with psychological distress and self-reported physical symptoms,[8] anxiety and depression,[9][10][11] shyness, negative self-esteem,[12] loneliness,[13] rumination,[14] trait social anxiety,[15] social anxiety,[16] and self-silencing,[17] ambivalence over emotional expressiveness,[18] maladaptive mood regulation,[19] and acute and chronic pain.[20]

Individuals with increased inferiority feelings have a higher tendency toward self-concealment, which in turn results in an increase in loneliness and a decrease in happiness.[21]

Research

edit

Theoretical models offered to explain the consistent finding of negative health effects for self-concealment include:

  • An inhibition model developed by Pennebaker,[22][23] which would attribute these effects to the physiological work that is a consequence of the behavioral inhibition accompanying the self-concealment process.
  • A preoccupation model based on the work of Wegner[24][25] that sees the thought suppression associated with self-concealment as ironically leading to intrusive thoughts and even greater preoccupation with distressing personal information, which in turn leads to poor well-being.
  • Self-perception theory,[26] which argues that behavior influences attitudes—the self-concealing person observes his or her own concealing behavior and concludes that there must be a good reason for the behavior, leading to negative characterological self-attributions that fit with this conclusion (e.g. "I must be bad because I am concealing this aspect of myself").
  • Self-determination theory, which explains the negative health effects of self-concealment as the consequence of the frustration of the individual's basic needs of autonomy, relatedness, and competence.[2]

Kelly offers a comprehensive review of several explanatory models and the evidence supporting each of them, concluding that a genetic component shared by high self-concealers might make them both more prone to self-conceal and more vulnerable to physical and psychological problems.[27]

Research studies have focused on the relation of self-concealment to attachment orientations,[28][29][30] help seeking and attitudes toward counseling,[31][32][33] desire for greater (physical) interpersonal distance,[30] stigma,[34][35] distress disclosure,[9] lying behavior and authenticity,[36][37][38] and psychotherapy process.[31][39][40]

Research also focuses on self-concealment in specific populations: LGBT,[16][35][41][42] multicultural,[43][44][45] and adolescents, families, and romantic partners.[36][46][47]

A recent review of 137 studies using the Self-Concealment Scale presented a working model for the antecedents of self-concealment and the mechanisms of action for its health effects. The authors conceptualize self-concealment as a "complex trait-like motivational construct where high levels of SC motivation energize a range of goal-directed behaviors (e.g., keeping secrets, behavioral avoidance, lying) and dysfunctional strategies for the regulation of emotions (e.g., expressive suppression) which serve to conceal negative or distressing personal information."[48] These mechanisms are seen as then affecting health through direct and indirect pathways, and as being "energized by a conflict between urges to conceal, and reveal—a dual-motive conflict which eventually leads to adverse physiological effects and a breakdown of self-regulatory resources".[49]

Self-Concealment Scale

edit

The 10-item Self-Concealment Scale (SCS)[1] measures the degree to which a person tends to conceal personal information perceived as negative or distressing. The SCS has proven to have excellent psychometric properties (internal consistency and test-retest reliability) and unidimensionality.[1][50] Representative items include: "I have an important secret that I haven't shared with anyone", "There are lots of things about me that I keep to myself", "Some of my secrets have really tormented me", "When something bad happens to me, I tend to keep it to myself", and "My secrets are too embarrassing to share with others".

In marginalized populations

edit

Minority groups employ self-concealment to manage perceived stigma.[51] For example, LGBT people (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans) people, who are stigmatized (see coming out) for the characteristics inherent to their sexual identities or gender identity, employ self-concealment as a result.[52][53]

Self-concealment is observed in African, Asian and Latin American international college students.[54] For African Americans in particular their self-concealment correlates with the degree of their Afrocentric cultural values.[55] Arab and Middle Eastern people have been documented employing the following identity negotiation strategies:

  • Humorous Accounting: A stigmatized minority will employ humor as a way to establish common ground.
  • Educational Accounting: A stigmatized minority will make an effort to educate the person questioning their stigmatized identity. This method is a common method used by Muslim women who wear hijabs in the study.
  • Defiant Accounting: A stigmatized minority will challenge the person questioning their identity by confronting the right to interrogate a stigmatized identity.
  • Cowering: A stigmatized minority will meet the demands of the person questioning their stigmatized identity due to real, or perceived fears of violence.[56][better source needed]

Self-concealment strategies can also present in those with sexual paraphilias. Research in the experiences of furries, a stigmatized group, found that they are more likely to self disclose if there is little difference in power between the furry and the individual with whom they are disclosing their identity to.[51]

See also

edit

Notes

edit
  1. ^ a b c d e Larson & Chastain (1990).
  2. ^ a b Uysal, Lin & Knee (2009).
  3. ^ Larson (1993).
  4. ^ Jourard (1971a).
  5. ^ Jourard (1971b).
  6. ^ Pennebaker & Chew (1985).
  7. ^ Pennebaker, Zech & Rimé (2001).
  8. ^ Cepeda-Benito & Short (1998).
  9. ^ a b Kahn & Hessling (2001).
  10. ^ Kelly & Achter (1995).
  11. ^ Pennebaker, Colder & Sharp (1990).
  12. ^ Ichiyama et al. (1993).
  13. ^ Cramer & Lake (1998).
  14. ^ King, Emmons & Woodley (1992).
  15. ^ Endler et al. (2002).
  16. ^ a b Potoczniak, Aldea & DeBlaere (2007).
  17. ^ Cramer, Gallant & Langlois (2005).
  18. ^ Barr, Kahn & Schneider (2008).
  19. ^ Wismeijer et al. (2009).
  20. ^ Uysal & Lu (2011).
  21. ^ Akdoğan & Çimşir (2019).
  22. ^ Pennebaker (1985).
  23. ^ Pennebaker & Beall (1986).
  24. ^ Wegner, Lane & Dimitri (1994).
  25. ^ Wegner, Lane & Pennebaker (1995).
  26. ^ Bem (1967).
  27. ^ Kelly (2002), p. 217.
  28. ^ Lopez (2001).
  29. ^ Lopez, Mitchell & Gormley (2002).
  30. ^ a b Yukawa, Tokuda & Sato (2007).
  31. ^ a b Fedde (2010).
  32. ^ Hao & Liang (2007).
  33. ^ Kimura & Mizuno (2004).
  34. ^ Masuda & Boone (2011).
  35. ^ a b Pachankis & Goldfried (2010).
  36. ^ a b Brunell et al. (2010).
  37. ^ Engels, Finkenauer & van Kooten (2006).
  38. ^ Lopez & Rice (2006).
  39. ^ Kahn, Achter & Shambaugh (2001).
  40. ^ Wild (2004).
  41. ^ Agyemang (2007).
  42. ^ Selvidge, Matthews & Bridges (2008).
  43. ^ Masuda et al. (2009).
  44. ^ Engels et al. (2005).
  45. ^ Masuda, Anderson & Sheehan (2009).
  46. ^ Finkenauer et al. (2009).
  47. ^ Frijns et al. (2009).
  48. ^ Larson et al. (2015), p. 708.
  49. ^ Larson et al. (2015), p. 709.
  50. ^ Cramer & Barry (1999).
  51. ^ a b Plante et al. (2013).
  52. ^ Johnson et al. (2010).
  53. ^ Adams (2010).
  54. ^ Constantine, Okazaki & Utsey (2004).
  55. ^ Wallace & Constantine (2005).
  56. ^ Marvasti (2005).

References

edit
  • Adams, T. (Spring 2010). "Paradoxes of sexuality, gay identity, and the closet". Symbolic Interaction. 33 (2): 234–256. doi:10.1525/si.2010.33.2.234.
  • Agyemang, S. (2007). Black bisexually active men who do not disclose sexual activity with men to female partners: An internet study of factors related to being on the 'down low' (Doctoral thesis). Available from Proquest database. (AAI 3269045).
  • Akdoğan, R. & Çimşir, E. (2019-10-15). "Linking inferiority feelings to subjective happiness: Self-concealment and loneliness as serial mediators". Personality and Individual Differences. 149: 14–20. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2019.05.028. S2CID 189983640.
  • Barr, L. K.; Kahn, J. H. & Schneider, W. J. (2008). "Individual differences in emotion expression: Hierarchical structure and relations with psychological distress". Journal of Social & Clinical Psychology. 27 (10): 1045–1077. doi:10.1521/jscp.2008.27.10.1045.
  • Bem, D. J. (1967). "Self-perception: An alternative interpretation of cognitive dissonance phenomena". Psychological Review. 74 (3). American Psychological Association: 183–200. doi:10.1037/h0024835. ISSN 1939-1471. PMID 5342882.
  • Brunell, A. B.; Kernis, M. H.; Goldman, B. M.; Heppner, W.; Davis, P.; Cascio, E. V. & Webster, G. D. (2010). "Dispositional authenticity and romantic relationship functioning". Personality and Individual Differences. 48 (8). Elsevier BV: 900–905. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2010.02.018. ISSN 0191-8869.
  • Cepeda-Benito, A. & Short, P. (1998). "Self-concealment, avoidance of psychological services, and perceived likelihood of seeking professional help". Journal of Counseling Psychology. 45 (1). American Psychological Association: 58–64. doi:10.1037/0022-0167.45.1.58. ISSN 0022-0167.
  • Constantine, M. G.; Okazaki, S. & Utsey, S. O. (2004). "Self-concealment, social self-efficacy, acculturative stress, and depression in African, Asian, and Latin American International college students". American Journal of Orthopsychiatry. 74 (3): 230–241. doi:10.1037/0002-9432.74.3.230. ISSN 1939-0025. PMID 15291700.
  • Cramer, K. M. (1999). "Psychological antecedents to help-seeking behavior: A reanalysis using path modeling structures". Journal of Counseling Psychology. 46 (3). American Psychological Association: 381–387. doi:10.1037/0022-0167.46.3.381. ISSN 1939-2168.
  • Cramer, K. M. & Barry, J. E. (1999). "Psychometric properties and confirmatory factor analysis of the self-concealment scale". Personality and Individual Differences. 27 (4). Elsevier BV: 629–637. doi:10.1016/s0191-8869(98)00222-0. ISSN 0191-8869.
  • Cramer, K. M.; Gallant, M. D. & Langlois, M. W. (2005). "Self-silencing and depression in women and men: Comparative structural equation models". Personality and Individual Differences. 39 (3). Elsevier BV: 581–592. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2005.02.012. ISSN 0191-8869.
  • Cramer, K. M. & Lake, R. P. (1998). "The preference for Solitude Scale: Psychometric properties and factor structure". Personality and Individual Differences. 24 (2). Elsevier BV: 193–199. doi:10.1016/s0191-8869(97)00167-0. ISSN 0191-8869.
  • Endler, N. S.; Flett, G. L.; Macrodimitris, S. D.; Corace, K. M. & Kocovski, N. L. (2002). "Separation, self-disclosure, and social evaluation anxiety as facets of trait social anxiety". European Journal of Personality. 16 (4). SAGE Publications: 239–269. doi:10.1002/per.452. ISSN 0890-2070. S2CID 143678327.
  • Engels, R. C. M. E.; Finkenauer, C.; Kerr, M. & Stattin, H. (2005). "Illusions of parental control: Parenting and smoking onset in Dutch and Swedish adolescents". Journal of Applied Social Psychology. 35 (9). Wiley: 1912–1935. doi:10.1111/j.1559-1816.2005.tb02202.x. ISSN 0021-9029.
  • Engels, R. C. M. E.; Finkenauer, C. & van Kooten, D. C. (25 July 2006). "Lying behavior, family functioning and adjustment in early adolescence" (PDF). Journal of Youth and Adolescence. 35 (6). Springer Science and Business Media LLC: 949–958. doi:10.1007/s10964-006-9082-1. ISSN 0047-2891. S2CID 14132540.
  • Fedde, F. (2010). Secret keeping and working alliance: The impact of concealment on the therapeutic process and the development of a solid client-therapist relationship (Doctoral thesis). Available from Proquest database. (AAI 3400158).
  • Finkenauer, C.; Engels, R. C. M. E. & Meeus, W. (2002). "Keeping secrets from parents: Advantages and disadvantages of secrecy in adolescence". Journal of Youth and Adolescence. 31 (2). Springer Science and Business Media LLC: 123–136. doi:10.1023/a:1014069926507. ISSN 0047-2891. S2CID 54975481.
  • Finkenauer, C.; Frijns, T.; Engels, R. C. M. E. & Kerkhof, P. (2005). "Perceiving concealment in relationships between parents and adolescents: Links with parental behavior" (PDF). Personal Relationships. 12 (3). Wiley: 387–406. doi:10.1111/j.1475-6811.2005.00122.x. ISSN 1350-4126.
  • Finkenauer, C.; Kerkhof, P.; Righetti, F. & Branje, S. (6 July 2009). "Living together apart: Perceived concealment as a signal of exclusion in marital relationships" (PDF). Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. 35 (10). SAGE Publications: 1410–1422. doi:10.1177/0146167209339629. ISSN 0146-1672. PMID 19581435. S2CID 13203590.
  • Frijns, T.; Finkenauer, C.; Vermulst, A. A. & Engels, R. C. M. E. (2005). "Keeping secrets from parents: Longitudinal associations of secrecy in adolescence" (PDF). Journal of Youth and Adolescence. 34 (2). Springer Science and Business Media LLC: 137–148. doi:10.1007/s10964-005-3212-z. ISSN 0047-2891. S2CID 14623952.
  • Frijns, T.; Keijsers, L.; Branje, S. & Meeus, W. (2009). "What parents don't know and how it may affect their children: Qualifying the disclosure–adjustment link". Journal of Adolescence. 33 (2). Wiley: 261–270. doi:10.1016/j.adolescence.2009.05.010. hdl:1874/384776. ISSN 0140-1971. PMID 19573902. S2CID 35178826.
  • Hao, Z. & Liang, B. (2007). "Predictors of college students' attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help". Chinese Journal of Clinical Psychology. 15 (3): 321–325.
  • Ichiyama, M. A.; Colbert, D.; Laramore, H.; Heim, M.; Carone, K. & Schmidt, J. (19 October 1993). "Self-concealment and correlates of adjustment in college students". Journal of College Student Psychotherapy. 7 (4). Informa UK Limited: 55–68. doi:10.1300/j035v07n04_05. ISSN 8756-8225.
  • Johnson, S. E.; Mitchell, M. A.; Bean, M. G.; Richeson, J. A. & Shelton, J. N. (2010). "Gender moderates the self-regulatory consequences of suppressing emotional reactions to sexism". Group Processes and Intergroup Relations. 13 (2): 215–226. doi:10.1177/1368430209344867. S2CID 145394924.
  • Jourard, S. M. (1971a). Self-disclosure: An experimental analysis of the transparent self. New York: Wiley.
  • Jourard, S. M. (1971b). The transparent self (rev. ed.). New York, NY: Van Nostrand Reinhold.
  • Kahn, J. H.; Achter, J. A. & Shambaugh, E. J. (2001). "Client distress disclosure, characteristics at intake, and outcome in brief counseling". Journal of Counseling Psychology. 48 (2). American Psychological Association: 203–211. doi:10.1037/0022-0167.48.2.203. ISSN 1939-2168.
  • Kahn, J. H. & Hessling, R. M. (2001). "Measuring the tendency to conceal versus disclose psychological distress". Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology. 20 (1). Guilford Publications: 41–65. doi:10.1521/jscp.20.1.41.22254. ISSN 0736-7236.
  • Kang, W. C. (2002). "The factor structure of the Chinese adaptation of Self-Concealment Scale in middle school students". Chinese Journal of Applied Psychology. 8 (2): 15–17.
  • Kawano, K. (2001). "Correlational analysis among Japanese Self-Concealment Scale, Kida's Stimulus-Seeking Scale and self-reported physical symptoms". Japanese Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. 40 (2): 115–121.
  • Kelly, A. E. (2002). The psychology of secrets. New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum.
  • Kelly, A. E. & Achter, J. A. (1995). "Self-concealment and attitudes toward counseling in university students". Journal of Counseling Psychology. 42 (1). American Psychological Association: 40–46. doi:10.1037/0022-0167.42.1.40. ISSN 1939-2168.
  • Kimura, M. & Mizuno, H. (2004). "Relationships between help-seeking preferences of college students and related psychological variables: A focus on student counseling, friends, and families". Japanese Journal of Counseling Science. 37 (3): 260–269.
  • King, L. A.; Emmons, R. A. & Woodley, S. (1992). "The structure of inhibition". Journal of Research in Personality. 26 (1). Elsevier BV: 85–102. doi:10.1016/0092-6566(92)90061-8. ISSN 0092-6566.
  • Larson, D. G. (1993). The helper's journey: working with people facing grief, loss, and life-threatening illness. Champaign, IL: Research Press. ISBN 978-0-87822-344-2. OCLC 28735292.
  • Larson, D. G. & Chastain, R. L. (1990). "Self-concealment: Conceptualization, measurement, and health implications". Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology. 9 (4). Guilford Publications: 439–455. doi:10.1521/jscp.1990.9.4.439. ISSN 0736-7236.
  • Larson, D. G.; Chastain, R. L.; Hoyt, W. T. & Ayzenberg, R. (2015). "Self-concealment: Integrative review and working model" (PDF). Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology. 34 (8). Guilford Publications: 705–728. doi:10.1521/jscp.2015.34.8.705. ISSN 0736-7236.
  • Leech, N. L. (2007). "Cramer's model of willingness to seek counseling: A structural equation model for counseling students". The Journal of Psychology. 141 (4). Informa UK Limited: 435–448. doi:10.3200/jrlp.141.4.435-448. ISSN 0022-3980. PMID 17725075. S2CID 42452971.
  • Lopez, F. G. (2001). "Adult attachment orientations, self-other boundary regulation, and splitting tendencies in a college sample". Journal of Counseling Psychology. 48 (4). American Psychological Association: 440–446. doi:10.1037/0022-0167.48.4.440. ISSN 0022-0167.
  • Lopez, F. G.; Mitchell, P. & Gormley, B. (2002). "Adult attachment orientations and college student distress: Test of a mediational model". Journal of Counseling Psychology. 49 (4). American Psychological Association: 460–467. doi:10.1037/0022-0167.49.4.460. ISSN 0022-0167.
  • Lopez, F. G. & Rice, K. G. (2006). "Preliminary development and validation of a measure of relationship authenticity". Journal of Counseling Psychology. 53 (3). American Psychological Association: 362–371. doi:10.1037/0022-0167.53.3.362. ISSN 1939-2168.
  • Luoma, J. B.; Kohlenberg, B. S.; Hayes, S. C.; Bunting, K. & Rye, A. K. (2008). "Reducing self-stigma in substance abuse through acceptance and commitment therapy: Model, manual development, and pilot outcomes". Addiction Research & Theory. 16 (2). Informa UK Limited: 149–165. doi:10.1080/16066350701850295. ISSN 1606-6359. PMC 5064952. PMID 27746709.
  • Luoma, J. B.; O'Hair, A. K.; Kohlenberg, B. S.; Hayes, S. C. & Fletcher, L. (21 December 2009). "The development and psychometric properties of a new measure of perceived stigma toward substance users". Substance Use & Misuse. 45 (1–2). Informa UK Limited: 47–57. doi:10.3109/10826080902864712. ISSN 1082-6084. PMC 5067154. PMID 20025438.
  • Marvasti, A. (Fall 2005). "Being Middle Eastern American: identity negotiation in the context of the War on Terror". Symbolic Interaction. 28 (4): 525–547. doi:10.1525/si.2005.28.4.525.
  • Masuda, A.; Anderson, P. L. & Sheehan, S. T. (2009). "Mindfulness and mental health among African American college students". Complementary Health Practice Review. 14 (3). SAGE Publications: 115–127. doi:10.1177/1533210110363893. ISSN 1533-2101. S2CID 144554119.
  • Masuda, A.; Anderson, P. L.; Twohig, M. P.; Feinstein, A. B.; Chou, Y.-Y.; Wendell, J. W. & Stormo, A. R. (29 May 2009). "Help-seeking experiences and attitudes among African American, Asian American, and European American college students". International Journal for the Advancement of Counselling. 31 (3). Springer Science and Business Media LLC: 168–180. doi:10.1007/s10447-009-9076-2. ISSN 0165-0653. S2CID 143927597.
  • Masuda, A. & Boone, M. S. (21 September 2011). "Mental health stigma, self-concealment, and help-seeking attitudes among Asian American and European American college students with no help-seeking experience". International Journal for the Advancement of Counselling. 33 (4). Springer Science and Business Media LLC: 266–279. doi:10.1007/s10447-011-9129-1. ISSN 0165-0653. S2CID 143516214.
  • Masuda, A.; Hayes, S. C.; Twohig, M. P.; Lillis, J.; Fletcher, L. B. & Gloster, A. T. (2009). "Comparing Japanese international college students' and U.S. college students' mental-health-related stigmatizing attitudes". Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development. 37 (3). Wiley: 178–189. doi:10.1002/j.2161-1912.2009.tb00101.x. ISSN 0883-8534.
  • Morgan, T.; Ness, D. & Robinson, M. (2003). "Students' help-seeking behaviours by gender, racial background, and student status". Canadian Journal of Counselling. 37 (2): 151–166. ERIC EJ822276.
  • Morris, L.; Linkemann, A.; Kroner-Herwig, B. & Columbus, A. (2006). "Writing your way to health? The effects of disclosure of past stressful events in German students". In Columbus, A. (ed.). Advances in psychology research. Vol. 46. Hauppauge, NY: Nova Science Publishers. pp. 165–185.
  • Omori, M. (2007). "Japanese college students' attitudes toward professional psychological services: The role of cultural self-construal and self-concealment". Psychological Reports. 100 (2). SAGE Publications: 387–399. doi:10.2466/pr0.100.2.387-399. ISSN 0033-2941. PMID 17564213. S2CID 20938554.
  • Pachankis, J. E. & Goldfried, M. R. (2010). "Expressive writing for gay-related stress: Psychosocial benefits and mechanisms underlying improvement". Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. 78 (1). American Psychological Association: 98–110. doi:10.1037/a0017580. ISSN 1939-2117. PMID 20099955.
  • Pennebaker, J. W. (1985). "Traumatic experience and psychosomatic disease: Exploring the roles of behavioural inhibition, obsession, and confiding". Canadian Psychology. 26 (2): 82–95. doi:10.1037/h0080025.
  • Pennebaker, J. W. & Beall, S. (1986). "Confronting a traumatic event: Toward an understanding of inhibition and disease". Journal of Abnormal Psychology. 95 (3): 274–281. doi:10.1037/0021-843X.95.3.274. PMID 3745650.
  • Pennebaker, J. W. & Chew, C. H. (November 1985). "Behavioral inhibition and electrodermal activity during deception". Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 49 (5). American Psychological Association: 1427–1433. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.49.5.1427. ISSN 1939-1315. PMID 4078683.
  • Pennebaker, J. W.; Colder, M. & Sharp, L. K. (1990). "Accelerating the coping process". Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 58 (3). American Psychological Association: 528–537. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.58.3.528. ISSN 1939-1315. PMID 2324942.
  • Pennebaker, J. W.; Zech, E. & Rimé, B. (2001). "Disclosing and sharing emotion: Psychological, social, and health consequences". In Stroebe, M. S.; Hansson, R. O.; Stroebe, W. & Schut, H. (eds.). Handbook of bereavement research: Consequences, coping, and care. Washington: American Psychological Association. pp. 517–543. doi:10.1037/10436-022. ISBN 1-55798-736-X.
  • Plante, C. N.; Roberts, S.; Reysen, S. & Gerbasi, K. (15 October 2013). "Interaction of socio-structural characteristics predicts identity concealment and self-esteem in stigmatized minority group members". Current Psychology. 33 (1). Springer Science and Business Media LLC: 3–19. doi:10.1007/s12144-013-9189-y. ISSN 1046-1310. S2CID 144595715.
  • Potoczniak, D. J.; Aldea, M. A. & DeBlaere, C. (2007). "Ego identity, social anxiety, social support, and self-concealment in lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals". Journal of Counseling Psychology. 54 (4). American Psychological Association: 447–457. doi:10.1037/0022-0167.54.4.447. ISSN 1939-2168.
  • Selvidge, M. M. D.; Matthews, C. R. & Bridges, S. K. (2 October 2008). "The relationship of minority stress and flexible coping to psychological well being in lesbian and bisexual women". Journal of Homosexuality. 55 (3). Informa UK Limited: 450–470. doi:10.1080/00918360802345255. ISSN 0091-8369. PMID 19042281. S2CID 9187136.
  • Uysal, A.; Lin, H. L. & Knee, C. R. (23 December 2009). "The role of need satisfaction in self-concealment and well-being". Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. 36 (2). SAGE Publications: 187–199. doi:10.1177/0146167209354518. ISSN 0146-1672. PMID 20032272. S2CID 25334812.
  • Uysal, A. & Lu, Q. (2011). "Is self-concealment associated with acute and chronic pain?". Health Psychology. 30 (5). American Psychological Association: 606–614. doi:10.1037/a0024287. ISSN 1930-7810. PMID 21728422.
  • Vogel, D. L.; Wade, N. G. & Haake, S. (2006). "Measuring the self-stigma associated with seeking psychological help". Journal of Counseling Psychology. 53 (3). American Psychological Association: 325–337. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.661.5535. doi:10.1037/0022-0167.53.3.325. ISSN 1939-2168.
  • Wallace, B. C. & Constantine, M. G. (2005). "Africentric cultural values, psychological help-seeking attitudes, and self-concealment in african american college students". Journal of Black Psychology. 31 (4): 369–385. doi:10.1177/0095798405281025. S2CID 144837720.
  • Wegner, D. M.; Lane, J. D. & Dimitri, S. (1994). "The allure of secret relationships". Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 66 (2). American Psychological Association: 287–300. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.66.2.287. ISSN 0022-3514.
  • Wegner, D. M.; Lane, J. D. & Pennebaker, J. W. (1995). "From secrecy to psychopathology". In Pennebaker, J. W. (ed.). Emotion, disclosure & health. Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association. pp. 25–46.
  • Wild, N. D. (2004). Self-concealment as a predictor of psychotherapy outcome (Doctoral thesis). Available from Proquest database. (AAINQ92555).
  • Wismeijer, A. A. J.; Van Assen, M. A. L. M.; Sijtsma, K. & Vingerhoets, A. J. J. M. (2009). "Is the negative association between self-concealment and subjective well-being mediated by mood awareness?". Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology. 28 (6). Guilford Publications: 728–748. doi:10.1521/jscp.2009.28.6.728. ISSN 0736-7236.
  • Yoo, S.-K.; Goh, M. & Yoon, E. (30 June 2005). "Psychological and cultural influences on Koreans' help-seeking attitudes". Journal of Mental Health Counseling. 27 (3). American Mental Health Counselors Association: 266–281. doi:10.17744/mehc.27.3.9kh5v6rec36egxlv. ISSN 1040-2861.
  • Yukawa, S.; Tokuda, H. & Sato, J. (2007). "Attachment style, self-concealment, and interpersonal distance among Japanese undergraduates". Perceptual and Motor Skills. 104 (3_suppl). SAGE Publications: 1255–1261. doi:10.2466/pms.104.4.1255-1261. ISSN 0031-5125. PMID 17879658. S2CID 36302974.
  • Zayco, R. A. (2009). Asian American cultural values, loss of face and self-concealment as predictors of attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help (Doctoral thesis). Available from Proquest database. (AAI 3321879.)
edit