How Close Are We? Measuring Intimacy and Examining Gender Differences
✍ Scribed by Misty K. Hook; Lawrence H. Gerstein; Lacy Detterich; Betty Gridley
- Book ID
- 102281226
- Publisher
- American Counseling Association
- Year
- 2003
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 238 KB
- Volume
- 81
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 1556-6678
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
✦ Synopsis
Many theorists agree that intimacy is a multidimensional concept consisting of several specific components: love and affection, personal validation, trust, and self‐disclosure. In this investigation, the authors tried to determine if 3 popular intimacy measures actually assess these 4 components and to see if women and men differ in their experiences of intimacy. Three hundred and sixty undergraduates completed the Miller Social Intimacy Scale (R. S. Miller & H. M. Lefcourt, 1982), the Personal Assessment of Intimacy in Relationships Scale (M. T. Schaefer & D. H. Olson, 1981), and the Fear of Intimacy Scale (C. J. Descutner & M. H. Thelen, 1991). Results of factor analyses supported the 4 specific components of intimacy. Multivariate analysis of variance results corroborated that women and men did vary in their experiences of intimacy.