Balancing the Secrets of Private Disclosures

Sandra Petronio

dec. 1999 · Routledge

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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.