TO DISCLOSE OR NOT TO DISCLOSE? STATUS DISTANCE AND SELF-DISCLOSURE IN DIVERSE ENVIRONMENTS.

Abstract

People who are demographically different from one another face a fundamental challenge in developing high-quality relationships in organizations. We build theory about how the status differences that often accompany demographic characteristics can hinder this development through their influence on disclosure of personal information. We theorize about the construct of status distance and how, ironically, disclosure of personal information may increase status distance instead of bringing individuals closer together. Beyond status distance, we also discuss how status characteristics and identification with one's characteristics influence disclosure of status-relevant information.