The great reconnection: Examining motives for relational reconnection and investigating social penetration as a predictor of well-being

Abstract

This study employs multiple methods to examine why individuals engage in relational reconnection and how self-disclosure during the re-initiation process relates to well-being during a time of acute stress. We apply Social Penetration Theory to examine individuals’ motivation to reconnect with dormant contacts, which channels they selected, the extent to which partners engaged in various levels of self-disclosure during relational reconnection, and how self-disclosure related to psychosocial and relational outcomes. Participants ( N = 254) were recruited from Amazon Mechanical Turk to answer a series of open- and closed-ended questions relating to the most important person they reconnected with during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. Qualitative thematic analysis identified ten themes driving individuals to reconnect, including relational dormancy, health checks, and reminiscing. Quantitative results showed that depth and breadth of self-disclosure in reconnected relationships were each negatively related to depression and loneliness. Breadth and depth of self-disclosure were also each positively associated with anticipation of future interaction. The ability to re-engage with former social connections showed clear associations with people’s psychological and emotional well-being during the pandemic, and the findings demonstrate the central role of continued self-disclosure during relational reconnection.