When boundary coordination fails, turbulence is the result. Petronio uses the metaphor of boundary turbulence to refer to “disruptions in the way that coowners control and regulate the fl ow of private information to third parties.” The examples she offers make it clear that turbulence can quickly destroy the trust between revealers and recipients that has built up over time. Communication scholar Leanne Knobloch (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)
defines relational turbulence as “people’s increased reactivity to relationship circumstances, which is manifest in extreme cognitive appraisals, intense emotional reactions, and zealous behavioral responses.” Our response to turbulence isn’t always negative, but the way it affects our thoughts, feelings, and actions can radically alter our relationships with others.
Petronio lists a variety of factors that can lead to boundary turbulence, which I’ll lump into three categories—fuzzy boundaries, intentional breaches, and mistakes. I’ll illustrate the
first two from research she’s conducted on family and friends as health care advocates—the triangular interactions that occur when patients bring someone with them to their doctor’s appointments.