Boundaries of Privacy : Dialectics of Disclosure

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.

"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