In-Law Communication and Privacy Management: Rules, Boundaries, and Turbulence

Abstract

When people get married or are in long-term relationships, involuntary relationships with in-laws are often created. In this case study, we exclusively focus on the relationships between daughters-in-law (DIL) and their mothers-in-law (MIL). This is a complex relationship to navigate, as the DIL may feel equal pressure to maintain in-law relationships while establishing boundaries and managing privacy within her own nuclear family. This case study offers vignettes that focus on communication privacy management within three distinct DIL/MIL relationships, illustrating aspects of privacy rules, boundary turbulence, topic avoidance, person avoidance, and coordinated boundaries.