The Emotional Self-Disclosure Scale (ESDS)

Abstract

The Emotional Self-Disclosure Scale (ESDS) is a 40-item psychological instrument developed by William E. Snell, Jr. and colleagues primarily in 1988 to measure the extent to which individuals disclose specific emotional experiences to others, often in a therapeutic or close relationship context. The scale assesses disclosure across eight distinct emotional domains, covering both positive and negative affects. It is fundamentally designed to quantify the propensity and depth of Emotional Self-Disclosure, a crucial variable in interpersonal functioning and therapeutic contexts, often used to study gender differences in communication.

Keywords

Emotional Self-Disclosure, ESDS, William E. Snell Jr., psychology, emotional expression, intimacy, counseling, affect, psychometrics.

Authors

William E. Snell, Jr., R. S. Miller, S. S. Belk.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the ESDS is to provide a standardized, multifaceted measure of an individual’s willingness and history of discussing specific emotional content. Unlike global self-disclosure measures, the ESDS focuses narrowly on 40 discrete emotional states, allowing researchers and clinicians to identify specific patterns of selective disclosure across a range of human feelings.

The scale was developed partly to investigate gender differences and the influence of cultural norms (specifically the masculine role) on emotional sharing, highlighting the importance of the specific emotion being disclosed and the recipient of that disclosure. The response format provided in the source content suggests a specific application in counseling settings, quantifying the degree to which clients have addressed these emotional topics with their therapist or counselor.

Construct

The ESDS measures Emotional Self-Disclosure, defined as the conscious and voluntary sharing of personal emotional experiences, feelings, and affective states. This construct is recognized as a key component of intimacy development and therapeutic progress. The ESDS operationalizes this construct into eight distinct subscales, covering a wide range of human affect.

These subscales differentiate between positive emotions (Happiness, Calmness) and various forms of negative or vulnerable emotions (Depression, Anxiety, Anger, Jealousy, Apathy, Fear), recognizing that disclosure patterns often vary significantly depending on the valence and type of emotion being expressed. This differentiation allows for a nuanced study of communication barriers and strengths.

Validity

Initial studies establishing the ESDS (Snell et al., 1988) demonstrated strong evidence of construct validity. The scale exhibits expected correlations with other measures of self-disclosure, intimacy, and relationship satisfaction, confirming that it measures the intended psychological construct. Furthermore, the differentiated nature of the eight subscales provides evidence of discriminant validity, as disclosure of negative emotions often correlates differently with outcomes compared to disclosure of positive emotions.

The scale’s ability to predict gender differences in emotional sharing, consistent with established literature on Sex Roles and masculinity, further supports its validity in measuring socially and culturally nuanced aspects of emotional communication.

Reliability

The ESDS generally demonstrates high internal consistency, crucial for multi-item scales. Coefficient alpha (Cronbach’s alpha) values reported in the original validation studies were typically robust across the eight subscales, indicating that the five items within each emotional domain measure a coherent underlying construct. This consistency confirms the reliability of the factor structure.

Test-retest reliability, while not explicitly detailed in all summaries, is generally acceptable for dispositional measures of disclosure style, suggesting that an individual’s tendency toward emotional disclosure remains relatively stable over time, making it suitable for both cross-sectional and longitudinal research.

Factor Analysis

The development of the ESDS relied heavily on empirical Factor Analysis (Snell et al., 1988) to determine its underlying structure. Principal components analysis revealed a clear and replicable eight-factor structure, aligning precisely with the eight intended emotional subscales.

Each of the 40 items loaded significantly onto its respective factor (e.g., items related to feeling unhappy, sad, and discouraged loaded onto the Depression factor). This robust structure confirms the scale’s theoretical premise that emotional disclosure is not a unitary trait but is contextually and affectively specific, requiring domain-specific measurement.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report psychometric scale.

Format: 40 items utilizing a 5-point Likert-type response format.

Language Available: English (Original development language).

Population Group: General adult population; widely used in college student samples and couples research.

Age Group: Adolescents and Adults (typically 18+).

Population Details: Originally validated using university students, but applicable to clinical populations and relationship studies focusing on communication patterns. The specific response key provided in the source content is tailored for disclosure addressed to a counselor.

Test Methodology: Respondents indicate the degree to which they have discussed 40 specific emotional states or experiences with a designated recipient (e.g., a counselor, friend, or partner) using the 5-point scale.

Keywords

Self-disclosure scale, ESDS items, emotional affect, communication, counseling inventory, intimacy measures, gender differences.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not specified in source.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not specified in source.

Correspondence Address: Not specified in source (Developer William E. Snell, Jr. was associated with Southeast Missouri State University).

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The ESDS was initially developed and published in 1988, with further validation work appearing in 1989. The scale is often made available for non-commercial academic use by the author, William E. Snell, Jr. The instrument and related information can be accessed online via the author’s institutional website archives: http://www4.semo.edu/snell/scales/ESDS.htm and http://www4.semo.edu/snell/TESTING.HTM. Specific fee requirements for commercial use must be confirmed directly with the copyright holder.

Reference’s

• Snell, W. E., Jr., Miller, R. S., & Belk, S. S. (1988). Development of the Emotional Self-Disclosure Scale. Sex Roles, 18, 59-74.

• Snell, W. E., Jr., Miller, R. S., Belk, S. S., Garcia-Falconi, R., & Hernandez-Sanchez, J. E. (1989). Men’s and women’s emotional disclosures: The impact of disclosure recipient, culture, and the masculine role. Sex Roles, 21, 467-486.

Items of the The Emotional Self-Disclosure Scale (ESDS)

The ESDS consists of 40 items, each representing a specific emotional state. Respondents rate their level of discussion of these topics with a designated recipient (e.g., a counselor) using the following response key:

• A = I HAVE NOT DISCUSSED THIS TOPIC WITH MY COUNSELOR:

• B = I HAVE SLIGHTLY DISCUSSED THIS TOPIC WITH MY COUNSELOR:

• C = I HAVE MODERATELY DISCUSSED THIS TOPIC WITH MY COUNSELOR:

• D = I HAVE ALMOST FULLY DISCUSSED THIS TOPIC WITH MY COUNSELOR:

• E = I HAVE FULLY DISCUSSED THIS TOPIC WITH MY COUNSELOR:

The 40 items are:

1. Times when you felt depressed.

2. Times when you felt happy.

3. Times when you felt jealous.

4. Times when you felt anxious.

5. Times when you felt angry.

6. Times when you felt calm.

7. Times when you felt apathetic.

8. Times when you felt afraid.

9. Times when you felt discouraged.

10. Times when you felt cheerful.

11. Times when you felt possessive.

12. Times when you felt troubled.

13. Times when you felt infuriated.

14. Times when you felt quiet.

15. Times when you felt indifferent.

16. Times when you felt fearful.

17. Times when you felt pessimistic.

18. Times when you felt joyous.

19. Times when you felt envious.

20. Times when you felt worried.

21. Times when you felt irritated.

22. Times when you felt serene.

23. Times when you felt numb.

24. Times when you felt frightened.

25. Times when you felt sad.

26. Times when you felt delighted.

27. Times when you felt suspicious.

28. Times when you felt uneasy.

29. Times when you felt hostile.

30. Times when you felt tranquil.

31. Times when you felt unfeeling.

32. Times when you felt scared.

33. Times when you felt unhappy.

34. Times when you felt pleased.

35. Times when you felt resentful.

36. Times when you felt flustered.

37. Times when you felt enraged.

38. Times when you felt relaxed.

39. Times when you felt detached.

40. Times when you felt alarmed.

The ESDS is scored across eight subscales, each containing five items:

• 1. Depression emotional-disclosure subscale: (Items 1, 9, 17, 25, 33).

• 2. Happiness emotional-disclosure subscale: (Items 2, 10, 18, 26, 34).

• 3. Jealousy emotional-disclosure subscale: (Items 3, 11, 19, 27, 35).

• 4. Anxiety emotional-disclosure subscale: (Items 4, 12, 20, 28, 36).

• 5. Anger emotional-disclosure subscale: (Items 5, 13, 21, 29, 37).

• 6. Calmness emotional-disclosure subscale: (Items 6, 14, 22, 30, 38).

• 7. Apathy emotional-disclosure subscale: (Items 7, 15, 23, 31, 39).

• 8. Fear emotional-disclosure subscale: (Items 8, 16, 24, 32, 40).