Petronio refers to communication privacy management theory as a rule-based theory. By this she means CPM offers an interpretive approach that runs counter to an objective or scientific quest to discover universal laws that accurately predict where people will draw their privacy boundaries. Instead, a rules perspective tries to discern why individuals make the choices they do about concealing or revealing private information. When Petronio spots a pattern of
disclosure within a group of people and these folks offer similar explanations for their actions, she articulates the internalized rules that appear to guide their decisions. These rules are guides for interpretation rather than ironclad laws. Yet in practice, they help people feel they have control over their private information.