CPM is a communication theory that nicely fulfi lls fi ve of the six criteria for a good interpretive theory. Petronio painstakingly maps out the different ways people handle private information and discerns why they make the choices they
do. This understanding of people is furthered by the qualitative research that she and other communication scholars conduct to expand their knowledge of privacy management. Typically their research takes the form of open-ended interviews such as those Petronio conducted with sexually abused children, but Petronio also draws on the results of quantitative research to support the theory’s conclusions. This extensive research and the fact that CPM provides a needed focus on privacy, where before there had been a theoretical void, has created a community of agreement
on the worth of the theory among communication scholars. In medical terms, CPM provides an astute diagnosis of the use and abuse of privacy rules.