CPM

           When private information is shared, collective privacy boundaries come into effect.  The co-owner of this private information has responsibilities to uphold to the other person regarding whether they are allowed to tell others or if the information must be kept to themselves.  This refers to boundary linkage, or when co-owners are able to agree to rules of who they can share the private information with (Griffin, Ledbetter & Sparks, 2015). 

For example, when one of my roommates tells me something in confidence, it can usually be assumed that I won’t tell anyone else.  Sometimes, she will ask me specifically to “not tell anyone” and this is establishes a very tight and secure boundary of rules when it comes to disclosing private information.  At other times, my roommate will tell me something and says “not to tell anyone” but that I can tell my other roommate.  In this case, this is known as boundary permeability, which is information that can be shared to a third party (Griffin, Ledbetter & Sparks, 2015).  The information that roommate 1 tells me can be told to roommate 2, which allows the information to flow through easily between the three of us. 

Between my roommates and myself, the rules of sharing private information with each other stays within the mapped boundaries that each of us adhere to.  However, fuzzy boundaries do sometimes occur.  Roommate 1 has a boyfriend that she shares everything with, including the private information that I share with her.  Most often this does not bother me, but at other times I don’t appreciate the boundary breach.  I’ve had to accept that either I don’t share information with her because I know it will be told to her boyfriend or I choose what information to share and which to withhold. 

References

Griffin, E. A., Ledbetter, A., & Sparks, G. (2015). A first look at communication theory (9th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.

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