Balancing the Secrets of Private Disclosures

This book joins together disclosure, privacy, and secrecy to pursue a greater understanding of how people are both public and private in their interactions. To be social yet autonomous, known yet unknown, independent yet dependent on others is essential to the communicative world. How do people manage these seemingly incongruous goals? This book argues that they actively work at balancing simultaneous needs of being both public and private. It highlights many different ways that people balance their public needs with their privacy needs underscoring the multidimensional nature of balance. The chapters also show that the opposing needs occur within a variety of contexts, from health issues, such as HIV/AIDS, to television talk shows. Readers will discover that avoiding disclosure is a dominant theme. In this way, the authors demonstrate how people balance privacy and secrecy by deemphasizing openness. Taken as a whole, this volume offers a refreshing new look at age-old concerns.

Sandra Petronio

Contents: Preface. Part I: Introduction to the Secrets of Private Disclosures.L.B. Rosenfeld, Overview of the Ways Privacy, Secrecy, and Disclosure Are Balanced in Today's Society. Part II: Standpoints on Secrets of Private Disclosures.K. Dindia, Sex Differences in Self-Disclosure, Reciprocity of Self-Disclosure, and Self-Disclosure and Liking: Three Meta-Analyses Reviewed. S. Petronio, The Boundaries of Privacy: Praxis of Everyday Life. Part III: Balancing Private Disclosures of HIV/AIDS in Relationships.V.J. Derlega, B.A. Winstead, L. Folk-Barron, Reasons for and Against Disclosing HIV-Seropositive Test Results to an Intimate Partner: A Functional Perspective. R.J.W. Cline, N.J. McKenzie, Dilemmas of Disclosure in the Age of HIV/AIDS: Balancing Privacy and Protection in the Health Care Context. G.A. Yep, Disclosure of HIV Infection in Interpersonal Relationships: A Communication Boundary Management Approach. D.C. Brouwer, Nonverbal Vernacular Tactics of HIV Discovery Among Gay Men. Part IV: Balancing Private Disclosures From Health Care to Illness.C.H. Tardy, Self-Disclosure and Health: Revisiting Sidney Jourard's Hypothesis. K. Greene, Disclosure of Chronic Illness Varies by Topic and Target: The Role of Stigma and Boundaries in Willingness to Disclose. R. Parrott, V. Duncan, A. Duggan, Promoting Patients' Full and Honest Disclosure During Conversations With Health Caregivers. Part V: Balancing the Secrets of Private Disclosure in Close Relationships.M.E. Roloff, D.E. Ifert, Conflict Management Through Avoidance: Withholding Complaints, Suppressing Arguments, and Declaring Topics Taboo. W.A. Afifi, L.K. Guerrero, Motivations Underlying Topic Avoidance in Close Relationships. A.L.S. Buslig, J.K. Burgoon, Aggressiveness in Privacy-Seeking Behavior. L. Cooks, Family Secrets and the Lie of Identity. Part VI: Balancing Private Disclosures in the Media and Across Cultures.D.L. Rubin, H. Yang, M. Porte, A Comparison of Self-Reported Self-Disclosure Among Chinese and North Americans. S.O. Hastings, "Egocasting" in the Avoidance of Disclosure: An Intercultural Perspective. V.O. Orrego, S.W. Smith, M.M. Mitchell, A.J. Johnson, K.A. Yun, B. Greenberg, Disclosure and Privacy Issues on Television Talk Shows. Part VII: Balancing the Secret Boundaries of Private and Public Disclosures.P.D. Schultz, Sex Offender Community Notification Policies: Balancing Privacy and Disclosure. L.E. Dieckmann, Private Secrets and Public Disclosures: The Case of Battered Women. Part VIII: Balancing Future Considerations.L.A. Baxter, E.M. Sahlstein, Some Possible Directions for Future Research. S.M. Jones, S. Petronio, Epilogue: Taking Stock.