In the last few decades, there has been a growing interest in the topic of privacy and questions of the public's right to know versus an individual's right to privacy (Carrere, 1983). The psychological literature has focused on the value of self-disclosure as an important step toward wellness and building intimacy with others (Cozby, 1973). From this perspective, privacy is seen as an obstacle to intimacy, and the two are thought of as conflicting needs. In this article, I will suggest an interdependent rather than oppositional relationship between privacy and intimacy. Privacy will be described as the developmental foundation upon which genuine intimacy may be built.
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