The Emotional, Behavioral, and Cognitive Experience of Boundary Turbulence

Key to understanding the process of privacy management is examining how boundary turbulence is individually experienced. Building on the principles of communication privacy management, I considered how the amount of dissemination beyond the dyadic boundary corresponds to the automatic emotional reactions, behavioral responses, and higher-order cognitions reported in response to boundary turbulence. Two hundred sixteen college-aged students described recent privacy breaches and reported their individual emotional, behavioral, and cognitive responses to the betrayal of confidence. Results revealed that the amount of dissemination of private information was positively associated with anger, fear, and sadness. Furthermore, anger incited the use of distributive tactics, and this association was stronger for individuals who ruminated. Congruently, sadness prompted withdrawal behaviors, and this relationship increased as cognitive avoidance increased.