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Theories of Privacy

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Situational Privacy and Self-Disclosure

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Abstract

This chapter provides a comprehensive review of existing approaches toward defining and conceptualizing privacy. After introducing prominent discourses of privacy in different disciplines, it focuses particularly on a socio-psychological perspective on privacy. Among others, the work of Westin, Johnson, Altman, and Burgoon is discussed. The literature review reveals that most theories (at least implicitly) acknowledge that perceptions of privacy depend on situational circumstances.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    The literature is too vast to be summarized here. In Germany, for example, the Sphärentheorie (engl. theory of spheres) is additionally used to distinguish between the social sphere, the private sphere, and the intimate sphere (e.g., Geminn & Roßnagel, 2015). Valuable overviews can be found in the Law, Government and Technology Series of the publisher Springer (e.g., Gutwirth, Leenes, & de Hert, 2015, 2016; Leenes, Gutwirth, & de Hert, 2017).

  2. 2.

    Rössler’s concept of local privacy is far more comprehensive than comparable dimensions developed by other scholars (e.g., Burgoon, 1982). Apart from physical intrusion into someone’s property, it describes a sphere that is subject to an individual’s enactment. For a comprehensive description of this dimension, see again (Rössler, 2001, pp. 255–304).

  3. 3.

    I deliberately chose not to focus on cultural aspects of privacy since the discussed theories all aim at conceptualizing privacy independently of cultural differences. This approach is acceptable as anthropological studies suggest that in virtually all cultures, both primitive and modern Western societies, people have sought privacy from time to time. However, the exact needs associated with privacy as well as the privacy regulations behaviors may differ (e.g., Kaya & Weber, 2003; Trepte & Masur, 2016; Trepte, Reinecke, et al., 2017). Descriptions of privacy and associated behaviors in different cultures can be found in the work of Moore (1984), Westin (1967, pp. 7–23) and Altman (1975, pp. 12–17).

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  1. Universität Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany

    Philipp K. Masur

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Masur, P.K. (2019). Theories of Privacy. In: Situational Privacy and Self-Disclosure. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-78884-5_3

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