Communication Privacy Management Theory

Self-disclosure is an important part of any close relationship. Without sharing our own fears and weaknesses, we can

Posner recognizes that “some private information that people desire to conceal is not discreditable,” and grants them privacy in such cases, but still believes that people “want to manipulate the world around them by selective disclosure of facts about themselves” (400). Here is where the distinction between intermediate and final goods is especially important, because it is presupposed that people use privacy for a greater purpose. Because people may attempt to misrepresent themselves to get ahead, protecting individual privacy rights can be economically inefficient. He goes so far as to say that “the economic case for according legal protection to [personal information] is no better than that for permitting fraud in the sale of goods” (401). Posner points out, however, that many conversations should be kept private, for to make them public would also lead to less effective communication, since certain formalities are expected

As human beings and citizens of the world, everyone values their privacy. It is a right that is often looked over and taken for granted by most. Since the beginning of time, there have been concerns about individuals’ rights to privacy and their personal information remaining confidential. Our founding fathers had concerns about this which is why, “…this right has developed into

When there maybe a conflict or dilemma in relation to sharing information and maintaining confidentiality.

Although sometimes constraints make it impossible to choose a perfect setting, it is important to, where possible, consider privacy. Privacy is one of the keys to good communication, as the client is likely to be disclosing information of a confidential and sensitive nature (Argyle 1998).

In Peter Singer’s “Visible Man: Ethics in a World without Secrets,” one main word drives the article: privacy. Singer addresses privacy thoroughly in the passage and provides an objective view on the topic. One particularly prevalent issue is how much information disrupts one’s privacy and how much can truly be shared. Some people argue that ignorance is bliss and that the world is a better place being unaware of all the tragedy happening around them. However, being knowledgeable is important and a person should know what transpiring around them. To better society and keep people informed, one should be ethical and share pertinent information using tools such as WikiLeaks and “sousveillance.”

Modern Americans see privacy as one of the greatest freedoms. When Edward Snowden revealed the NSA surveillance program, the citizens of the United States were appalled by the extent of access the NSA had to personal information. However, according to Dan Tapscott in his essay, “Should We Ditch the Idea of Privacy?” we post just as many details daily on our numerous social media outlets. The majority of the information we freely post is not meaningful and does no harm to us by being public, yet there is a dangerous side to our open-book nature.

To disclose or not to disclose?, That question usually comes when you start a new relationship with a friend, a boy friend, a new job or any new relationship, but disclosing can also happen with people we have known for a long time or not. Scholars define self-disclosure as sharing information with others that they would not normally know or discover, but I feel like each person has his or her own way of defining what self closure is. To me, self disclosure is letting myself go and trusting the person I am disclosing to, it involves risk and vulnerability on my part sharing important information to someone. Therefore I go back to the question I posed before, do I trust this person or not, do I love this person to feel my vulnerability, do

Communication Privacy Management Theory is designed to help explain the decision where people balance the advantages and disadvantages of revealing or concealing information to certain people in certain contexts. One major factor in this balancing act, the theory argues, is that of boundary linkage. In short, by disclosing information to another party, the sharer is transferring co-ownership of that information to that party, and without the establishment of rules regarding that information, that new party is able to then transfer the information ownership to additional parties. This creates a tension in that the initial owner still holds the belief that they are the true owner of information, and yet they’ve lost a certain measure of control; this tension, or boundary turbulence, can in turn lead to concern or distress. By looking into these feelings of tension and concern that occur after decision to disclose or conceal information have been made, a better understanding of what effects boundary linkage has on people’s decisions can be obtained.

Individuals have different levels of disclosure and when combined with another individual’s disclosure level can have positive or negative outcomes. The decision to communicate can also cause uncertainty within relationships. Prior research was conducted to try and measure what exactly causes the uncertainty and negative results to show up in a relationship. Intimacy, security, problematic events, and irritations are all different elements that can be stronger or weaker in the relationship based on the disclosure (Theiss and Solomon 2006).

Privacy has expanded to more complex forms including people’s information displayed throughout technology (Kasper 71).

Privacy either encourages or is a necessary factor of human securities and fundamental value such as human embarrassment, independence, distinctiveness, freedom, and public affection. Being completely subject to mutual scrutiny will begin to lose self-respect, independence, distinctiveness, and freedom as a result of the sometimes strong burden to conform to public outlooks.

The layers of self-disclosure can be identified as layers of an onion. Self-disclosure can be referred to as layers of an onion because in the relationship you peel back a layer at a time. The outer layer of the onion is only superficial communication that is not as intimate and can be seen by any of the public. This communication can include height, weight, where someone works or goes to school, etc. The inner layer of the onion includes more personal communication that is not always seen by the public. This inner layer can include communication that involves a persons goals, values, and beliefs. In a study done in 2012, bloggers tended to stick to the outer layers of the onion when discussing topics in their blogs (Tang). The social penetration theory and social media’s impact on the theory will be expanded upon more later on in the paper.

Self-disclosure is the voluntary sharing of personal history, preferences, attitudes, feelings, values, secrets, etc. with another person (Griffin, p. 97). As stated in the introduction Altman and Taylor look at relationships as an “onions.” The different layers are representative of different feelings of a person. When

Communication privacy management (CPM) is a theory about how people make decisions about revealing and concealing private information. CPM theory suggests that individuals maintain and coordinate privacy boundaries (the limits of what they are willing to share) with various communication partners depending on the perceived benefits and costs of information disclosure. People believe they own and have a right to control their private information and control their private information through the use of personal privacy rules. When others are told or given access to a person’s private information, they become co-owners of that information.