What are the four guidelines for self-disclosure, and how can you utilize each to develop how and what you self-disclose in your relationships?

What will be an ideal response?

1. Relevance, clarity, and timing of self-disclosure: We should consider whether the self-disclosure is pertinent (relevant) to the other person or the situation at hand. Clarity and timing refer to whether the other person can process the self-disclosure; major self-disclosures need time and concentration to understand.
2. Degree of risk involved: Sharing personal information can pose risks, because that information can be used against us in various ways, including sharing it with someone else or causing the person you self-disclosed to think differently (maybe lesser) of you. For example, saying "I love you" to another person implies that the other reciprocates those feelings, but perhaps the other does not.
3. Responding to someone's self-disclosure: If someone discloses information that has a great deal of negative stigma associated with it, it is important not to let our own fears or apprehension cloud our ability to provide positive feedback. Good news should also be met with positive responses.
4. Having realistic expectations: Not all self-disclosures are significant, and significant self-disclosures do not occur in a relationship every day.