Effect of Therapist's Disclosure of Religious Beliefs on the Intimacy of Client Self-Disclosure

Abstract

A therapy analogue experiment supported the view that therapist disclosure of religious affiliation can reduce the intimacy of client disclosure. Christian subjects were significantly less intimate in disclosing to a therapist who had disclosed himself to be either a devout Christian or an Orthodox Jew than they were in disclosing to a therapist who had not disclosed any religious beliefs. Jewish subjects were less intimate in their disclosures when paired with a therapist who disclosed himself to be a devout Christian than they were when paired with an Orthodox Jewish therapist or with a therapist who did not disclose religious affiliation. When client and therapist were of the same religion, a positive correlation emerged between the client's religiosity and the intimacy of his disclosure. However, in no condition did subjects disclose more intimately to the therapist who disclosed his religious beliefs than to the nondisclosing therapist. Results are discussed in terms of self-disclosure reciprocity and in terms of the tentative implication that therapist disclosure of religion may not be good for the therapeutic relationship.