This document discusses Communication Privacy Management Theory, which focuses on how people manage private information and disclosure in relationships. It provides an overview of the theory's evolution over time from focusing on married couples to broader groups. It outlines assumptions of the theory, such as that people make choices and rules about disclosure based on themselves and others. The document also discusses critiques of the theory and provides a personal example of feeling a loss of control over private information.

1. Chapter 13Communication Privacy Management Theory

2. IntroductionPurposePrivacy versus disclosureVital to managing relationshipsRelational and individual concernsRecencyNew thinkingGrowing fieldSpecific focus

3. Evolution1990Men and women have different rules for disclosure1991Microtheoryconfined to married couplesNowMacrotheory including groups and organizations

4. RisksBad timingWrong peopleRevealing too muchCompromising othersBenefitsIncrease social controlBecome more intimateValidate our perspectivesDisclosure

5. AssumptionsRules and Systems ApproachHumans are choice makersHumans are rule makers and followersHumans make choices and rules based on a consideration of both themselves and othersDialectic TheoryRelational life is characterized by changeContradiction is the fundamental fact of relational life

6. SuppositionsPrivate InformationAbout things that matter deeply to a personIntimacy is knowing someone deeply in all waysPrivate disclosure is the process of communicating private information to anotherPrivate BoundariesCollective boundaries include more than one personPersonal boundaries include just one personControl and OwnershipFeeling that they own private information and believing that they should be able to control who has access to it

7. CritiqueScopeLogical ConsistencyParsimonyUtilityTestabilityHeurismTest of Time

8. PersonalAs an owner of private information about myself, it should be under my control who else (if anyone) is allowed to gain access to my personal life. So when I came home for spring break, newly single, I did not want to make it a big deal. Unfortunately, I made the mistake of turning to my best friend and saying, “I have to tell you something later.” Worried by my tone of voice, she started the interrogation process right in front of everyone else in the room. Of course everyone was instantly curious. I felt like I was losing control as they pried the details out of me. My ownership had been violated and even though I was surrounded by friends, I felt helpless.

9. QuestionJohn Caughlin and Tamara Afifi found that avoiding disclosures or maintaining private ownership of information can sometimes be helpful to relationships. Specifically, they found study participants less likely to be unhappy about topic avoidance when motivated by a desire to protect the relationship, but is it ever really okay to hide something from your spouse?