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The physiological reactions elicited by psychological stress vary in their magnitude and, indeed, patterning, for two main reasons: One is the precise nature of the challenge (the “situational factor”) and the other is the nature of the person’s biological program (the “individual factor”). While any given response in an individual subject is a function of both factors, this chapter will focus on the individual factor.

The Los Angeles Noise project was a complex and arduous project of relatively long duration. First, there were numerous preparatory meetings among the co-principal investigators to conceptualize and design the study. Grant proposals were submitted and research funds obtained. Then, meetings were held with approximately 10 Los Angeles elementary-school principals to recruit the participation of their staff and students in our research, and a travel trailer was acquired and remodeled to serve as a mobile testing station for our research participants. During spring 1977 and spring 1978, small armies of research assistants led by at least one principal investigator per testing session made daily excursions to the participating schools where five groups, each comprised of five children, were tested in our trailer throughout the school day. Subsequently, several months were devoted to the coding and analysis of the data from the longitudinal and replication samples. Finally, research reports were prepared for presentation at conferences and for submission to various journals.

When Johnny last visited the dentist, he was greeted in the waiting room by the dental assistant, who explained the forthcoming procedures to him in great detail. As she described the equipment, the sensations, and the sequence of events, Johnny became tense, wide-eyed, and quiet. During the examination itself, he squirmed in the dentist’s chair and winced when the dentist warned him that he was about to feel pain. Johnny also suffered for several days after the procedure, complaining that his teeth were sore and that he was afraid of having a new cavity filled the following week. Craig’s experience at the dentist was quite the opposite. In his case, the assistant gave him a coloring book and crayons to occupy him while he waited. He happily played with these toys, humming softly to himself. Throughout the examination, Craig listened carefully to the dentist’s stories about fishing and swimming and remained cheerful. He never mentioned the dentist or his teeth to his mother after the examination and seemed nonplussed at the prospect of having another cavity filled.

The relationship between gender and self-disclosure is a topic of research for which some of the clearest predictions have been made, yet some of the most puzzling results have been obtained. In this chapter we review strategies that we and others have used in efforts to solve the puzzle. Our goal is to explore issues that have been addressed in the past and to identify issues that need to be addressed in the future.