Antecedent goals for concealable stigma disclosure: The ironic effects of compassion

Disclosure of a concealable stigmatized identity is perhaps one of the most difficult obstacles facing individuals who live with “discreditable” attributes. Although previous research suggests that antecedent goals, or the reasons why individuals disclose their stigma to others, have a fundamental influence on disclosure events and their subsequent outcomes, much of this work has focused on the perspective of the discloser, with little attention paid to the perspective of the confidant. The current experiment used the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model to test the hypothesis that more salient compassionate, as opposed to self-image-focused, goals would be associated with more positive disclosure experiences, for both dyad members, as reflected in their self-reports of improved affect, greater interpersonal closeness, reduced anticipated stigma, bolstered social support, and increased trust. Results indicated that, although focusing on compassionate goals during disclosure can foster feelings of interpersonal closeness and perceived trust, prioritizing the needs of one's confidant in conjunction with one's own needs may, at times, have ironic negative effects, including diminished positive affect. Overall, findings highlight the continued need to examine reciprocal influence processes in interpersonal disclosure contexts to better understand when, why, and for whom revealing a concealable stigma will yield benefit, rather than harm.