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Emotion Regulation and Well-Being pp 307–323Cite as

Secrets and Subjective Well-Being: A Clinical Oxymoron

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Abstract

In this chapter secrecy as a research theme will be introduced. Although secrets potentially concern us all, it is still not a mainstream topic of research. First we focus on how secrecy is defined, followed by a discussion on what people keep secret and the reason to keep secrets. Then research on the inter- and intrapersonal consequences of secrecy is discussed, with an emphasis on the negative effects for subjective well-being (SWB). It will be shown that the effects of secrecy on SWB critically depend on what facet of secrecy one is studying. It will become clear that secrecy is a multifaceted phenomenon, requiring a multidisciplinary research approach. It is concluded that research on secrecy is highly important because of the associated negative consequences for well-being, but that several important issues about secrecy are still unresolved. Future research themes are suggested.

An erratum to this chapter can be found athttp://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-6953-8_20

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Developmental, Clinical, and Cross-Cultural Psychology, Tilburg University, 90153, 5000 LE, Tilburg, Netherlands

    Andreas Wismeijer

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  1. Andreas Wismeijer
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Correspondence to Andreas Wismeijer .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. , Center of Research on Psychology in Soma, Tilburg University, Tilburg, 5000 LE, Netherlands

    Ivan Nyklíček

  2. , Department of Clinical Psychology, Tilburg University, Tilburg, 5000 LE, Netherlands

    Ad Vingerhoets

  3. Tilburg Institute for Behavioral Economi, Department of Social Psychology, Tilburg University, Tilburg, 5000 LE, Netherlands

    Marcel Zeelenberg

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Wismeijer, A. (2011). Secrets and Subjective Well-Being: A Clinical Oxymoron. In: Nyklíček, I., Vingerhoets, A., Zeelenberg, M. (eds) Emotion Regulation and Well-Being. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-6953-8_19

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