Self-Disclosure among Police and College Students

Abstract

The relationship between self-disclosure and Criminal Justice personnel was studied. The subjects were Criminal Justice, Arts and Science, and Business undergraduate students. All subjects were given Jourard's Self-disclosure Scale. Subjects were asked to indicate their disclosure to four target persons: mother, father, male friend, and female friend. When analyzed in three separate repeated measures of analyses of variance data suggested no significant differences between Criminal Justice majors and the other college groups on self-disclosure. However, Criminal Justice majors with no police experience or little police experience disclosed more than Criminal Justice majors with extensive police experience. Older respondents disclose significantly less than do younger respondents.