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Communication Privacy Management Theory

INTRO

Communication privacy management can be best described as the process of concealing and revealing information. This theory helps give an insight into why we do, or do not, share information with others. This theory lies on several different bases of disclosure in terms of friends and family, to what is happening on social media. The way humans choose to reveal information to particular people relies on a thought based process. Many factors contribute to this process including: how close we are with a person, what the foundation of the relationship was built on, the trust and loyalty each person consists of. This theory answers the question of why we feel more or less comfortable telling certain people private information.

BACKGROUND

Communication Privacy Management theory, once known as communication boundary management, is a research theory by Sandra Petriono in 1991. This theory's main purpose is to establish evidence on how individuals decide to disclose or withhold private information. According to this theory, individuals carefully choose what to disclose based on benefits and risks they perceive in sharing that information with certain people. Petronio believes that sharing personal details can strengthen relationships, and she gives us rules and regulations to help decipher when to share this information.

PRIVACY OWNERSHIP

To understand the main idea of this theory, there are a few key factors to understand. The first being that the actual act of disclosing private information with someone is a process. Although it may feel as if the thought of telling a friend something personal seems so normal, there is a reason why we as humans subconsciously do this. First being: feeling as if we “own” the information that is completely personal. This process is called privacy ownership. ‘Author of COMS book??’ explain this best by saying, “one of the three key components of CPM is privacy ownership, which refers to how people feel about their private information” (source). This sense of ownership we have about our private information leads to treading with light waters on who we tell. Once you disclose your private-owned information with someone, it becomes co-owned. You not only opened up to someone, you trust them to keep it between only the two of you.

RULES AND REGULATIONS:

In this theory, there are a few rules and regulations that help distinguish different types of ownership people feel when it comes to sharing or concealing their private information. Following off of privacy ownership, the rule of control. This rule relates to when the owner of the information makes the decision to reveal this information. A few contributing factors about this rule are: deciding who to share information with, when to share information with this person, and what circumstances you are sharing this information under. This also contributes to the rules of boundaries. Boundaries play into the circumstantial factor of sharing information. This rule establishes what can be shared and what information can be saved. According to the Center for Communication Privacy Management (n.d.) they explain personal boundaries as “Personal privacy boundaries encompass information that is uniquely our own. A personal privacy boundary fundamentally changes into a collective privacy boundary when private information is disclosed or access is granted.”(Center for Communication Privacy Management, n.d.) Boundaries help to establish how much control one has when disclosing information.

EXAMPLE

One way to help understand this theory would be to give a real world example. The most common environment that CPM is shown in is families. The relationship a child has with their parents decides how much information the child conceals or reveals. A study done at Texas Christian State University talks about how this theory correlates with first year college students. They did a research experiment testing how private boundaries patterns are created from parental invasions. The researchers sent emails to students asking questions about how much information students share with their parents, and how comfortable students feel telling their parents information. These polls were taken quarterly throughout the semester. Results were recorded from this experiment, and researchers found that a healthy amount of parental invasion along with a low amount of child defense, results in a positive privacy management relationship. According to the journal the author explains, “Again, it is worth noting that such parental invasions may sometimes be for good cause and may sometimes help the first-year student, even if he or she does not recognize it at the time”(Ledbetter, 2019). The Communication Privacy Management theory exemplifies itself throughout family relationships.

CONCLUSION:

In summary, Communication Privacy Management (CPM) theory, created by Sandra Petronio, helps us understand how people handle sharing and keeping private information in conversations. This theory shows that privacy is not one-size-fits-all; it changes based on the situation and the person you're talking to. It emphasizes that individuals have control over their personal information and decide when and how to share it. In relationships, people use different rules to decide what to share and what to keep private, considering things like how it might help or hurt them and cultural differences. CPM theory is a useful tool for researchers and practitioners because it sheds light on the important aspects of how people communicate and manage privacy in relationships.

SOURCES

West, R. L., & Turner, L. H. (2021). Introducing Communication Theory: Analysis and Application. McGrawHill.

Colaner, C. W., Bish, A. L., Butauski, M., Hays, A., Horstman, H. K., & Nelson, L. R. (2022). Communication Privacy Management in Open Adoption Relationships: Negotiating Co-ownership across In-person and Mediated Communication. Communication Research, 49(6), 816–837. https://doi.org/10.1177/0093650221998474

Ledbetter, A. M. (2019). Parent-Child Privacy Boundary Conflict Patterns During the First Year of College: Mediating Family Communication Patterns, Predicting Psychosocial Distress. Human Communication Research, 45(3), 255–285. https://doi.org/10.1093/hcr/hqy018

Communication Privacy Management Center. (n.d.). Glossary. Center for Communication Privacy Management. https://cpmcenter.iupui.edu/teach/glossary