Privacy Tendencies and Revealing/Concealing: The Moderating Role of Emotional Competence

Abstract

In this study, alexithymia was tested as a moderator of the relationship between individual tendencies toward privacy (i.e., personal privacy orientation and anticipation of boundary turbulence) and the decision to reveal and conceal. Using structural equation modeling, results showed that both personal privacy orientation and anticipation of boundary turbulence were positively related to alexithymia. Alexithymia, in turn, moderated the relationship between personal privacy orientation and concealing, anticipation of boundary turbulence and concealing, and personal privacy orientation and revealing. Implications and directions for future research will be discussed.

Keywords:

• Alexithymia
• Communication Privacy Management Theory
• Privacy

Notes

*p < .05; **p < .01; ***p < .001.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Colin Hesse

Colin Hesse (Ph.D., Arizona State University, 2009) is an assistant professor in the Department of Communication Studies at University of Missouri-Columbia.

Emily A. Rauscher

Emily A. Rauscher (Ph.D., University of Missouri-Columbia, 2012) is an assistant professor in the Department of Communications at the University of Southern Indiana.