Date of Award

1-15-2015

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Specialization

Communication and Leadership

School or Department

School of Leadership Studies

First Advisor

Dr. Michael Hazel

Second Advisor

Dr. Heather Crandall

Abstract

This thesis examined how women who share membership in a close social group use communication to manage the private information of other members of the group. Carol Gilligan’s work in In A Different Voice introduces a moral development theory that women’s ethics are defined by their need for human connection and caring. Communication Management theory was used as an interpretive lens to examine the decisions and behaviors behind a member’s choice to disclose or not disclose the personal information about another member. Research to determine whether the existence of an established group influenced the decision to share or not share was also completed. The research also considered the introverted/extroverted nature of the participants and compared currently accepted characteristics of these personality traits with the behaviors of the participants in the group. The data were gathered as part of an anonymous survey where the participants were asked to answer open-ended questions to share their experiences, personal ethics, and reactions to the idea of disclosure of another person’s private information. The results show that, even as women are more likely to disclose their own information with trusted friends, when it comes to the privacy of someone else, their ethical decisions are driven more by respect for established privacy rules. The results additionally showed that, although privacy rules direct their course of action, their reasons for following those rules are rooted in a need to show care. These results support Gilligan’s moral development theory that, in a trusted group of women, trust is rooted in the need to connect, and that respect for others’ privacy rules can overrule a person’s own privacy rules and natural tendencies to disclose. These findings will serve to further communication studies in regards to information disclosure within a group of women, particularly as it applies to the disclosure of another person's information.

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