Communication Privacy Management Theory: History of Development, Research Trends, and Future Applications

Communication privacy management (CPM) theory has been tested and refined for over forty years. In this article we chart the history of development of the theory across this span of time. Then, we review research utilizing CPM theory in the family in the areas of parent-child privacy boundaries and privacy invasions, difficult disclosure processes that happen in diverse families, military deployment, adoption-related communication, and health communication within the family. We end the essay by addressing the future of CPM theory and research related to the family. This includes recommending scholars expand the theory by: exploring privacy management from more interconnected vantage points within the same family system; charting life and privacy regulation in our modern digital information society; and exploring privacy regulation in more non-Western settings and applications.