Analytical Summary; Post-traumatic stress and self-disclosure.

Article: Purves, D. G., & Erwin, P. G. (2004). Post-traumatic stress and self-disclosure. The journal of psychology, 138(1), 23-34.

Analytical Summary

Purves and Erwin (2004) discussed post-traumatic stress (PTS) and self-disclosure and the relationship between these. The purpose of this study is to find the relations between PTS symptoms and emotional self-disclosure. The problem causing the authors to research this topic was the gap in knowledge about relationship of self-disclosure and post-traumatic stress. This gap was because other researchers did not focused the role of self-disclosure to treat post-traumatic stress. This study is significant because it will help clinical experts to use this knowledge to treat trauma patients especially women, using emotional self-disclosure. The study found that self-disclosure is different in men and women. Men are less willing to express their emotions than women. The study confirmed that reluctance to express happy feelings was related to high traumatic symptoms in men.

The authors explained the key concept of self-disclosure in many ways. Self-disclosure is engaging in talk about anxiety, disclosing emotions of happiness, talking about big and small events of life, sharing personal hard experiences, expressing trauma feelings by writing. The authors found that men have different pattern of self-disclosure than women. Thus, they limited the concept to gender differences. Self-disclosure is an important component of emotional processing to help reduce anxiety and stress after trauma (Foa & Kozac, 1986; Hunt, 1998; Rachman, 1980). This finding means that self-disclosure can be used to treat traumatic people by reducing their anxiety. Frustration and distress are key terms which add more meaning to the concept.

Agaibi and Wilson (2005) analyzed the relationship between posttraumatic stress and resilience while this article analyzed the relationship between posttraumatic stress and self-disclosure. Actually, self-disclosure is also a method of achieving resilience. But Agaibi and Wilson tried to explain resilience by understanding trauma and PTSD and this article explain the effects of self-disclosure which can help in achieving resilience. The relationship between self-disclosure and PTS tell importance of expressing emotions. When it is understood that disclosing can reduce anxiety and PTS, then doctors and experts can suggest activities and therapies to help patients disclose their emotions and deep feelings. This will help them reduce their trauma symptoms and its effects and thus they will learn more resilience with time and practice.