To Reveal or Conceal?: Privacy Management Processes among Interracial Romantic Partners

This study uses communication privacy management theory (CPM; Petronio, 2002 Petronio, S. (2002). Boundaries of privacy: Dialectics of disclosure. New York, NY: State University of New York Press. [Google Scholar]) to examine interracial romantic partners' privacy rule development criteria and privacy control tactics. Semistructured interviews (N = 27) were subjected to a thematic analysis. Results reveal that although interracial partners perceive societal opposition, many choose to disclose relational information to social network members. Participants experience power struggles with co-owners in managing their private, relational information, and their disclosures often follow sequences that align with relational turning points. Findings suggest that mixed-race couples frequently partake in both an interracial and intercultural identity, which carries with it additional opportunities for disclosure negotiations.