Boundaries of Privacy

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.

"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

• List of Illustrations Foreword Preface 1. Overview of Communication Privacy Management Theoretical Suppositions Supposition 1: Private InformationSupposition 2: Privacy BoundariesSupposition 3: Control and OwnershipSupposition 4: Rule-Based Management SystemSupposition 5: Privacy Management Dialectics Privacy Rule Management Processes Management Process 1: Privacy Rule FoundationsManagement Process 2: Boundary Coordination OperationsManagement Process 3: Boundary Turbulence Organization of the Book 2. Rule Management Process 1: Privacy Rule Foundations Privacy Rule Development Privacy Rule Development: Cultural CriteriaPrivacy Rule Development: Gendered CriteriaPrivacy Rule Development: Motivational CriteriaPrivacy Rule Development: Contextual CriteriaPrivacy Rule Development: Risk-Benefit Ratio Criteria Privacy Rule Attributes Rule AcquisitionRule Properties Conclusion 3. Rule Management Process 2: Boundary Coordination Operations Coordination Operations Boundary LinkagesBoundary PermeabilityBoundary OwnershipBoundary Co-ownership: Private Disclosure Confidants Conclusion 4. Cases of Boundary Coordination Collective Coordination Patterns Inclusive Boundary CoordinationIntersected Boundary CoordinationUnified Boundary Coordination Dyadic Privacy Boundaries Relational Privacy BoundariesMarital and Significant Partner Privacy Boundaries Family Privacy Boundaries Boundary SpheresFamily Privacy Rule Orientations Group Privacy Boundaries Group ConfidencesReinforcing Group Boundaries Organizational Privacy Boundaries Superior-Subordinate BoundariesVagueness as Privacy ProtectionEmployee-Employer Privacy Rights Conclusion 5. Rule Management Process 3: Boundary Turbulence Types of Boundary Turbulence Intentional Rule ViolationsBoundary Rule Mistakes Fuzzy BoundariesDissimilar Boundary OrientationsBoundary Definition PredicamentsPrivacy Dilemmas Conclusion 6. Practices and Praxis of Communication Privacy Management Applications of CPM Medical MistakesChild Sexual AbuseHIV/AIDS Conclusion and Future Issues References Author Index Subject Index