What Influences the Dyadic Effect?

As said by Jourard in our book “Close Encounters”, dyadic effect is the reciprocal self-disclosure, which permits the beginning of close relationships. Two persons disclosing their selves reciprocally give each one the conformity of being in the same field of interest. One aspect, that in my understanding is a huge influence to the dyadic effect is the scale of interest in each person in order to develop what he or she wants to build. All depends in how each one react to the disclosure of the other one; how she or he like what they perceive, how the personality met will affect/effect in his or her own life and if the daily rhythm of life of each disclosing person benefits or its appropriated to what that other person is looking for. The aspects mentioned before, if its mutual, generates an empathetic response between the persons and allows the start of a more formal and deep relationship that will grow with time, as they get to know each other more and more. As I think, the triumph of a strong and appropriated relationship begins with the dyadic effect and with and empathetic attitude from each one towards the relationship planned.

Self-disclosure is seen as a useful strategy for sharing information with others. By sharing information, we become more intimate with other people and our interpersonal relationship is strengthened. In our text “Close Encounters” it discusses reciprocity of self-disclosure between people. The dyadic effect is considered as a vehicle to develop a more personal relationship. (Close Encounters p.96)

Sharing information with selective people can lead to the other person disclosing information about themselves. When self-disclosure is reciprocated it reflects a common thought or problem that is usually rewarding to both parties. However, there are risks involved. If the information is taken in the wrong context is can cause the relationship to be terminated. For example empathy is an emotion that is often communicated to those looking for a particular response. Empathy can have a number definitions, according to “Empathy and Interpersonal Communication: What We “Do” When We “Feel” Another” by Aron Dibacco he says “It has been understood as a personality characteristic, as accuracy in reading another’s state, as emotional identification with another, and as cognitive role taking” This means that empathy can be considered a trait deeply rooted in a person. Empathy is an emotion that is experienced and practiced it is a “co-created” experience. Factors that influence empathy vary on the type of information being disclosed and if the other person can relate to the experience or not. The dyadic effect directly relates to the phenomenon of empathy because when disclosing information that may evoke that feeling it will either intensify the relationship or the do opposite, depending on the created experience by both people.

The "Dyadic Effect" states that self-disclosure usually begets self-disclosure. This means that if someone discloses information that seems difficult for them to have shared, the other person feels they must do the same to either make the other person not feel alone or because they feel they must reciprocate.

This tends to happen if someone discloses any sort of information, whether it is superficial, social, or core. If someone tells me their favorite color is blue, I'll reply that mine is pink. While if a person tells me their mother has passed away, I don't know exactly what they are going through, but I can empathize with them and tell them my cousin died. You want to help them as much as you can so that they don't feel alone. It would be awkward if a person said "I'm paralyzed" and you replied by saying "That sucks". Again, you don't know exactly how they are feeling, but them saying that would prompt me to tell them about my friend whose father is paralyzed. Whenever someone discloses information to you, you feel the need to disclose to them as well. If someone feels they can trust you they think they can trust you they might tell you something important.

"The Self-Disclosure of Interpersonal Feedback: The "Dyadic Effect" in a Group Context -- Gordon 16 (3): 411 --." Small Group Research. Web. 01 Mar. 2010. <http://sgr.sagepub.com/cgi/pdf_extract/16/3/411>.

Many people believe that the dyadic effect is a vehicle through which people build close relationships (Close Encounters, Pg. 96). There are many things that may cause the dyadic effect. The dyadic effect occurs because one person feels comfortable enough to disclose information with another. The feeling of this comfort enables the other person to disclose information with another. The feeling of this comfort enables the other person to disclose information related to the topic. This means that in order for the dyadic effect to occur the person must feel comfortable with the other and also trust the other person. For example: I told my mother what I wanted to be when I grew up. My mother responded by telling me that she wished she had the chance to pursue her original dream and career path. My mother was able to relate to my dreams and give me advice that she wishes she had taken herself. This relates perfectly back to Jourad’s findings. This also proves that people typically feel a natural pull toward matching the level of intimacy and intensity present in their conversational partner’s self disclosure.

Guerrero, Laura K. Close encounters communication in relationships. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications, 2007.

What Generates an Empathetic Response?

Empathy as a Form of Interpersonal Communication

Empathy could be described as the understanding of feelings and others' concerns, and looking at the world from their point of view. Understanding that people have different feelings, and that they are caused by the same things prove how useful this is to understand in the communication process.Empathy is an important phenomenon in interpersonal communication which refers to the ability of accurately infers another person’s feeling and responding compassionately to another person’s distress (Ickes, 1993). Empathy is a form of emotional reaction to the perception of meaningful signals from the surroundings and human emotions, the abilities to accept another person's perspective. Empathy is a process of people's communication about their current experiences. The substance of this communication is the entire current experience: its emotional as well as cognitive elements. Empathy is strongest between people who identify similarities with others or who share experiences.Thanks to empathy we can get almost direct insight into the other person's experiences and the possibility to embrace them into their natural whole of complexity and entangle in situation context. It makes it possible to be familiar with other people's mental life in a way that is only minimally distorted by the use of perceptive and intellectual patterns.For example, people who have the same gender, occupation, close age, or similar expressions are more likely to detect other’s feelings accurately. So engaging in situations that help people to identify others who are similar to themselves or who have similar experiences may be helpful for promoting empathic attitudes that build interpersonal trust.