Motivation. Petronio emphasizes attraction and liking as interpersonal motives that can loosen privacy boundaries that could not otherwise be breached. That’s certainly the case when a sexual perpetrator has sworn the victim to secrecy under threat of dire consequences. Some victims lowered their barriers and provided access when they also felt the additional force of reciprocity. As one girl reported, “A sudden bond formed between [us by] her saying,
you know, ’I was molested’ and knowing that all of a sudden I wasn’t all by myself. . . . I could trust her because I knew that she could feel the scariness. . . .”