Honesty is the best policy, its a phrase which we hear all the time.The couples that can communicate in an open and honest manner are often in the most successful/beneficial relationships. However, how far does honesty extend, are their limits or is full disclosure the standard protocol.
If you think about it for a minute your thought might be something along the lines of “Well, if its something important that affects both of us, then yes full disclosure applies. So by extension what do you think qualifies as important. Do health and financial issues fall under this serious umbrella? What about past relationships or skeletons in the family closet. What do you need to know and what can be left unsaid?
This is when we can get into the debate between privacy versus secrecy. What’s the difference between the two and what are the potential pitfalls and ramifications in the context of an intimate relationship. On their face privacy and secrecy seem simply distinguished, In fact the connotation of each help in understanding their definitions. Privacy is seen as the opposition of public, secrecy will similar insinuates a withholding or concealing of information, due in large part to the consequences of revealing said information.
The issue that arises is that while one has a right to privacy, part of what separates intimate relationships is the shedding at least partially of the boundaries of privacy. However, some aspects of your life can remain justifiably private, The key is determine which doors of ones individuality are unlocked within the private walls of a relationship and which can genuinely remain closed. The answers are rarely cut and dry , but a good gauge is contemplating whether revealing information will cause an emotional reaction. If it will, then you’re harboring a secret, if it won’t you’re maintaining privacy.