The Effect of Intimacy: Reciprocity or Retreat?
- 1 June 1972
- journal article
- clinical trial
- Published by Wiley in British Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology
- Vol. 11 (2) , 135-142
- https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2044-8260.1972.tb00794.x
Abstract
Three conditions of intimacy were created through varying a confederate's body posture and search for eye contact. Forty‐eight male and 48 female undergraduates each interacted with a confederate (either male or female) for one of the three conditions. Predictions derived from the ‘intimacy equilibrium’ hypothesis were not supported. Increased intimacy resulted in an increase in eye contact (P < 0·01), an increase in number of forward leans by the subject (P < 0·05), and an increase in positive attitude towards the confederate (P < 0·005). Rosenfeld's notion of non‐verbal reciprocity and Homan's exchange theory are used to explain the results. Some of the variables that may set limits upon the equilibrium hypothesis are discussed.Keywords
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