Boundaries of Privacy: Dialectics of Disclosure

by Sandra Petronio, Irwin Altman (Foreword by)

Overview

Explores new ways to think about privacy and disclosure.

Offering a practical theory for why people make decisions about revealing and concealing private information, Boundaries of Privacy taps into everyday problems in our personal relationships, our health concerns, and our work to investigate the way we manage our private lives. Petronio argues that in addition to owning our own private information, we also take on the responsibility of guarding other people's private information when it is put into our trust. This can often lead to betrayal, errors in judgment, deception, gossip, and privacy dilemmas. Petronio's book serves as a guide to understanding why certain decisions about privacy succeed while others fail.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780791487853
Publisher:	State University of New York Press
Publication date:	02/01/2012
Series:	SUNY series in Communication Studies
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	288
File size:	1 MB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Sandra Petronio is Professor in the Department of Communication and School of Medicine at Wayne State University. She is the editor of Balancing the Secrets of Private Disclosures.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations


Foreword


Preface


1. Overview of Communication Privacy Management


Theoretical Suppositions

Supposition 1: Private Information
Supposition 2: Privacy Boundaries
Supposition 3: Control and Ownership
Supposition 4: Rule-Based Management System
Supposition 5: Privacy Management Dialectics

Privacy Rule Management Processes

Management Process 1: Privacy Rule Foundations
Management Process 2: Boundary Coordination Operations
Management Process 3: Boundary Turbulence

Organization of the Book


2. Rule Management Process 1: Privacy Rule Foundations


Privacy Rule Development

Privacy Rule Development: Cultural Criteria
Privacy Rule Development: Gendered Criteria
Privacy Rule Development: Motivational Criteria
Privacy Rule Development: Contextual Criteria
Privacy Rule Development: Risk-Benefit Ratio Criteria

Privacy Rule Attributes

Rule Acquisition
Rule Properties

Conclusion

3. Rule Management Process 2: Boundary Coordination Operations


Coordination Operations

Boundary Linkages
Boundary Permeability
Boundary Ownership
Boundary Co-ownership: Private Disclosure Confidants

Conclusion


4. Cases of Boundary Coordination


Collective Coordination Patterns

Inclusive Boundary Coordination
Intersected Boundary Coordination
Unified Boundary Coordination

Dyadic Privacy Boundaries

Relational Privacy Boundaries
Marital and Significant Partner Privacy Boundaries

Family Privacy Boundaries

Boundary Spheres
Family Privacy Rule Orientations

Group Privacy Boundaries

Group Confidences
Reinforcing Group Boundaries

Organizational Privacy Boundaries

Superior-Subordinate Boundaries
Vagueness as Privacy Protection
Employee-Employer Privacy Rights

Conclusion


5. Rule Management Process 3: Boundary Turbulence


Types of Boundary Turbulence

Intentional Rule Violations
Boundary Rule Mistakes
Fuzzy Boundaries
Dissimilar Boundary Orientations
Boundary Definition Predicaments
Privacy Dilemmas

Conclusion

6. Practices and Praxis of Communication Privacy Management


Applications of CPM

Medical Mistakes
Child Sexual Abuse
HIV/AIDS

Conclusion and Future Issues


References


Author Index


Subject Index

Editorial Reviews

"This is a wonderful book! It is wide-ranging in scope, carefully crafted, and scholarly. Sandra Petronio has set the stage for research and theorizing for a generation to come." — Irwin Altman, University of Utah

"Finally, a book exists that not only lays out the privacy and disclosure literature, but also explains the rules we use to manage our private information. This is a fascinating book that examines the ways we use communication to construct and manage the multiple boundaries that exist in our daily lives. By examining the rules we use to balance our private boundaries, Petronio provides scholars additional insights into the personal management strategies individuals use during interpersonal interactions." — Jack Sargent, Kean University

"This book provides a coherent approach from which to understand the disclosure process itself, not just disclosure decisions. The inclusion of decision rules and turbulence provides new avenues for further exploration. The holistic picture of how disclosure is managed in relationships will advance understanding of management of private information." — Kathryn Greene, Rutgers University

From the Publisher