Postural Sway Dynamics and Complexity Matching during the Disclosure of a Concealable Stigmatized Identity

Abstract

This positional paper is the first of its kind to provide a framework to bridge the gap between disclosure research and embodied cognition via postural sway behavior. Despite the potential for experiencing discrimination or stigmatization, research suggests that revealing a concealable stigmatized identity (CSI), or any identity that can be hidden but when revealed has the potential for social devaluation, often leads to positive psychological and interpersonal outcomes. However, this typically only happens when a disclosure confidant provides support in response to disclosure. Therefore, this work aims to uncover how someone’s antecedent goals (either approach or avoidance oriented) can impact the disclosure event using an embodied perspective whereby goal orientation has the propensity to affect unconscious behaviors such as postural sway. Healthy adults typically exhibit complex, fractal sway behaviors; therefore, any loss of complexity could be associated with maladaptive disclosure motivations. Finally, we suggest a future plan of research aimed at capturing the disclosure confidant’s perception of the disclosure event and if they are more likely to exhibit complexity matching in their postural sway behaviors as a function of disclosure motivation.