the secret would be the better predictor of feeling positive about the secret at the time of the study(653), compared to using catharsis as the method of coming to terms with the reasons behind the development of the secret. MethodThis particular study consisted of two separate projects conducted by the same researchers. In the first study, undergraduates in a introductory psychology class were asked to (a) select the most private, personal secret that they had shared with another person, (b) describe to what extent they experienced catharsis and gained new insights into the secret after revealing it, and (c) indicate how they felt when thinking about the secret now (653). A number of different questions were also asked of them in regards to how private their secret was to them at the time of the study(654), the number of people with whom they shared the secret(654) and with whom the shared the secret first(654). The students recorded their answers using a 7-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (not at all) to 7(extremely) (654). The sample size of the first group consisted of 137 students who volunteered for the study and who also received some form of extra credit for their participation. Of the 137 volunteers, 92 were men and 45 were women. Of the participates. 115 were White, 3 were Black, 4 were Asian, 7 were Latino/a, and 6 were classified as other (134) with the average age of the sample being 20 years old. The second study consisted of 85 participants with an average age of 19 years. 45 of the participants were men and the other 40 were women. Of the participants, 76 were White, 6 were Black, 2 were Asian, and 1 was classified as other (658). All participates were undergraduates who were randomly assigned to one of three groups in which they were asked to write about either (a) their secrets while trying to gain new insights into them, (b) their secrets while trying to gain catharsis, or (c) their previous day (658). It...
