Application of the Theory of Privacy Regulation to Residential Design

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Table of Contents

Introduction
The Theory of Residential Privacy
Designing for West Texas Family
States and Functions of Privacy
Conclusion
Reference List

Introduction

Residential facilities are usually designed to enhance the quality of life for the residents while ensuring their safety, privacy, and comfort needs are met. This however is faced with issues of legal requirements, the social-cultural setting, needs of the users, and socio-economic status among other factors which influence and dictate the manner in which residential houses must be designed. Privacy is another major concern that has led to its consideration in designing residential environments in a way that individual residents are able to live their own lives without interfering with one another’s personal space, comfort and communication. Technological advancements and environmental design concepts provide a variety of features that take into consideration the individual needs of the residents and hence improve their privacy. It must be remembered that while fulfilling the need for privacy, other needs such as psychological, physical, and age-related issues must be considered.

This paper will focus on evaluating the evolution of the Theory of Privacy Regulation and its application to modern-day design. More specifically, it will focus on the cultural environment of a West Texas family and will give recommendations to cater to the psychological, professional, and physical needs of these family members.

The Theory of Residential Privacy

Understanding the Theory

The issue of privacy is of concern in residential design due to its subjective yet critical nature in that what constitutes privacy varies with cultural background, age and socio-economic status (Courtney, 2006). While privacy is often interchangeably used with confidentiality, Lumpkin (2000) differentiates between the two and defines “privacy as an individual’s desire to control access while confidentiality is the obligation to protect the privacy of another” (p. 21). Privacy is a concept that is multi-dimensional with its application and definitions varying (Lemonidou, Valimaki & Dassen, 2002). According to Westin (1970), the description of privacy pertains to the mechanisms put in place for its achievement in the context of different group sizes and needs of people. He refers to the functions of privacy as “the purpose that privacy serves for each individual” (p. 21). Leino-Kilpi, Dassen and Scott (2001) categorize privacy as pertaining to practices, dimensions and perspectives. According to them, practices are mechanisms for the achievement of privacy which are group-level based with definition on culture while dimensions are the categorizations of the concerns of privacy which are normally descriptive. Additionally, they define perspectives as mechanisms used to achieve privacy at an individual level in the context of varying group sizes.

Privacy serves different functions and purposes but Westin (1970) suggests the main functions are emotional release; protected and limited communication, personal autonomy and self-evaluation. Courtney (2006) asserts that personal autonomy relates to self-independence and identity while emotional release refers to an individual’s ability to relax from roles, especially those relating to social responsibilities. Westin (1970) emphasizes that the self-evaluation function requires separation from others physically since it gives an individual a chance of reflecting upon experiences and strategizing on future actions without the unnecessary scrutiny and criticism of others. Altman (1975) defines limited communication as the opportunity to have interaction with others with the freedom to choose and limit the group size the communication requires in that instance. Westin (1970) also proposed various types of privacy in solitude, reserve, intimacy and anonymity, all of which are the means for the achievement of the functions of privacy. Westin (1970) further defines solitude as the mere isolation from others physically while reserve refers to the construction of a psychological barrier against unwanted intrusion while ignoring others in both large and small size groups. Altman (1975) describes intimacy as involving small groupings of people separating themselves from a larger group while anonymity refers to being part of a group yet separate from them. Hughes (2004) has identified “the main dimensions of privacy as social, psychological, informational and physical,” (p. 63).

The Evolution of the Privacy Regulation Theory

Although there are a number of perspectives on privacy, Irwin Altman’s theory of privacy regulation is widely recognized due to his credibility as a social psychologist. This theory was developed as an extension of Westin’s (1970) work with the objective of understanding why people sometimes want to be alone, but other times prefer to interact with others either in a small or large group (Altman, 1975). Although it is sometimes regarded as avoidance of people, privacy is dynamic. Privacy has a dialectic nature of opening and closing to others and dynamic nature of desiring different contact levels at different times with variances due to cultural and individual differences.

Westin (1970) attributes the need for interaction to the origin of human beings which also applies to some animal species. Altman (1975) noted that the desired level of privacy is usually different from existing levels of privacy; hence one strives to achieve it. He noted that the lack of attaining the desired level of privacy can lead to either loneliness or crowding. Altman (1975) further explained that privacy is universal but its contextual application differs. Additionally, although privacy is an individual need, individuals have the ability to attain social adjustment since interaction depends on the ability to experience acceptance through the reciprocity of the same. In addition, Altman went further to identify the properties of this theory. Altman (1975) categorized it as “having actual and desired privacy levels; the existence of individual and group privacy; monotonic; and having a bi-direction nature due to dependence on the inputs of other people; temporal dynamic state” (p. 55-57).

Achievement of the Privacy Regulation Theory in Residential Design

The application of privacy in design takes note of the personal considerations of the client hence upholding the elements of comfort, safety and quality of life. Environmental design has been evolving to cater to the privacy of the people who utilize space with developments such as views that allow for privacy and window placement to ensure the privacy of the resident/s. The developments have been based on taking advantage of the landscape while considering the neighborhoods and cultural background of the residents. The basic adoption of privacy in interior space design can be seen in changes of design features such as the adjustments of floor levels, light fixtures, use of fences, wall and floor compositions, and the general design type through the improvement of new technologies that allow for privacy such as soundproofing systems. Interior space has been used to provide privacy through the general arrangement and sizes of doors and windows and the encouragement of flexibility in how a room can be arranged. Color and contrast have increasingly been used with changes in tone, reflection abilities, intensity, and pigmentation to create privacy. The design of residential environments has allowed for the creation of corners, alcoves, balconies, and backgrounds to create a space for privacy. Inclusively, the adoption of different themes that are individualized and have varying ceiling heights and floor levels has sought to increase privacy as well as improve the quality of life for the users of a space (Biddulph, 2007).

Indirectly, the need for sustainability has also helped provide privacy as the planting of trees to protect buildings has allowed additional privacy for those within them. Interior design that takes into consideration privacy has been enhanced through the use of materials that not only preserve the environment but also create personal space, comfort, contrast, use of wooden furniture, and other facilities that not only offer differentiation but add a touch of privacy for individual users. Interior design has been enhanced through the adoption of individual themes for different rooms to suit the personality of the different users. In addition, the adoption of green roofs has limited the visibility of the residential houses thus emphasizing privacy. Interior space and design have made use of materials that are not only conducive to the environment but also provide a wide variety of choices to create a personalized theme for individual rooms to fit in the privacy of the users. Environmental designs have improved to cater to the personality of an individual in regard to the cultural setting; for example, through the use of local materials that also provide for flexibility and social identity (Dewsbury, Taylor & Edge, 2001).

Designing for West Texas Family

Theme Choice

The family in consideration is composed of a veteran father who is psychologically impaired, the mother, two children (a boy and a girl), and a grandmother who is physically impaired. The theme adopted has to consider privacy as well as the psychological and physical impairments and a home office. Texas has a community culture that allows for social interactions with multi-family residences and general community connectedness. This means that the house has to be open to the community. Homes have high proximity to the road and noise is experienced. However, the homes are to be designed to create privacy through Texan regional style which allows for privacy through the backyard, adoption of style suited to the area, and the use of materials that cater to the needs of individual users of the house.

Texan regional style would be recommendable due to its use of local materials, the building of low houses to allow for ease in mobility, cultural setting; the use of earthen materials that not only emphasize acoustic but also create privacy, sustainability and ergonomics. Additionally, this design theme creates harmony with the neighborhood as well as balance and is easy to accessorize with local materials. The safety of the children, psychological and physical needs, and office creation are enhanced by this theme (Biddulph, 2007). The overall design has to take into consideration the individual aspects through sustainable modern concepts. Acoustic consideration is very important because of the need for peace and calmness that is required by the psychologically impaired father, the physically impaired and aging grandmother, and the working mother for concentration in the office. A sustainability design theme with an emphasis on acoustics would be the most recommendable (Biddulph, 2007).

States and Functions of Privacy

This Texan family requires privacy to cater to the psychological requirements of the veteran father, physical needs of the grandmother, Texan cultural setting, and professional requirements.

Psychological Need for Privacy

According to Westin (1970), the psychological need is a dimension of privacy. Hughes (2004) asserts that it is the process of maintaining a personal identity by controlling affective and cognitive behavior. He asserts that it is important for an individual to experience privacy to be able to identify with oneself through growth and development and coming to terms with oneself. Leino-Kilpi et al. (2001) assert that it is the ability to regulate and control contact when needed. In this case, the veteran father has a psychological impairment that requires him to have personal space to overcome it if it is due to stress and to cope with it if it cannot be changed. This can be provided by creating a separate room meant for him to relax, a backyard that allows peace and calmness, the use of acoustics to provide a peaceful environment, the use of accessories and other design elements as well as the creation of a comfort zone that suits him. Additionally, the room arrangement should be flexible to enable the creation of a private space or public space as he desires.

Color can be used to provide a reflective and relaxing environment as well as contrast creation to allow him to develop cognitively. Further, the arrangement of the room can be repetitive to enable him to grasp direction and connection easily thereby avoiding confusion. The use of corners and alcoves should be encouraged to allow privacy for him when he just needs to be alone in thought though together with others in the same room. Further, as Courtney (2006) suggests, the psychologically impaired father requires privacy by ensuring accessibility and safety creation of a conducive environment where he can engage in things on his own without having all things done for him while having technologies and materials that offer cognitive ergonomics to him. This, as Biddulph (2007) argues can be enhanced by providing accessibility to things, having different floor styles to provide for distinction and direction, and clearly setting the focal point for each room.

Physical Impairment Need

Altman (1975) argues that physical privacy is an individual’s ability to control access. In considering physical impairment, Courtney (2006) asserts that an individual with physical impairment should be considered in design so that his mobility or general well-being is not hindered. Physical privacy for the impaired grandmother is necessary to enable her to have personal private space and comfort zone that allows for safe mobility and access to what she wants. Leino-Kilpi et al. (2001) term this privacy as personal space for emotional release. The physical impairment needs can be met by creating a private room for the grandmother that is customized to fit her needs such as accessible heights to reach the wardrobe, door locks, as well as a bed that is designed to help her get on it easily and provide comfort. In addition, she would require privacy by designing a bathroom and toilet that suits her physical impairment needs as well as providing personal privacy. There has to be proportion, organization, balance, harmony, and uniformity to enable her to locate her things easily without disarrangements or struggling to figure out where they are (Wilson & Corlett, 2005).

In considering privacy, the issues of the grandmother’s safety and security must not be ignored (Biddulph, 2007). This can be enhanced through the use of good floors, organics, green materials, good value of products as well as improving the proximity of her room to the necessary areas such as the living area, the outside, kitchen among others to reduce mobility and effort needed to get there. Privacy can be created by designing an efficient floor, wall, and low ceiling to create an intimate place for her privacy. Additionally, the living area needs to have a personal space for her in terms of a comfortably designed chair, ergonomics, and anthropometry to provide suitable doorways and passages as well as avoidance of staircases to allow for physical mobility in case she has a wheelchair. Flexibility has to be considered through the use of aids that are easy to be stored or folded such as wheelchairs (Lumpkin, 2000). Further, the passageways she uses have to be free from crowding to ease movement. Due to her age, it is also necessary to provide privacy through acoustics that allows her to experience peace such as carpets, soft furnishes, environmental-friendly materials, and avoidance of corners and alcoves. The external design of the house has to cater to her needs in terms of mobility and accessories such as three shades. Additionally, as Courtney (2006) observes, some aged people are usually afraid of being alone. Thus, the use of low ceilings should be encouraged to provide intimacy as well as ensure that her room is not in isolation.

Privacy in the Cultural Setting

The culture of Texas allows for community interaction (Lemonidou et al., 2000). However, the privacy of this family has been enhanced culturally by the encouragement of the designing of low buildings, having fences, low-level ceilings, and enhanced proximity to traffic. Further, this has influenced the use of green products in roofing, local stone, and earthen for construction and metal. The use of these materials has provided acoustics due to their soundproof nature, warmth (such as earthen), and enhanced privacy. The planting of trees to protect the roof as a cultural setup has influenced privacy since the house is hidden by the trees as well as providing good shade and a view of the environment. Cultural requirements that fit the area create balance, uniformity, rhythm, and organization which enhances the security of the family since the likelihood of being the distinct target in times of crime is limited (Lumpkin, 2000). Further, the use of green, durable and valuable materials have served to provide utilitarianism for the family as well as safety in times of crisis such as hurricanes. The cultural setting also influences the level of lighting which provides safety and privacy. The direction and view of the windows is a cultural influence that allows for free circulation and movement thus creating privacy. Ideally, belonging to this culture and its degree of dominance provides privacy through the issue of identity and belongingness (Leino-Kilpi et al., 2001).

Professional Privacy

Altman (1975) argues that an individual requires space or limited access once s/he adopts a personal identity that calls for it. In this case, the setting of the home office would require having a private room or the creation of a private space for this. This calls for professionalism and lack of interruptions to ensure efficiency and productiveness at work (Biddulph, 2007). Professional privacy can be created through the use of higher ceilings to minimize intimate feelings, limited view of the outside by using window curtains or blinds, use of acoustics such as carpets to lower the influence of noise, having a major focal point such as the computer to provide professional emphasis, use of color to create seriousness and contrast as well as limited accessorizing (Lumpkin, 2000).

Hughes (2004) thinks that the privacy of the home office has to consider the confidentiality and safety of information and documents. This can be provided by ensuring that the distance between the office to other areas of the home is large. Additionally, it is necessary to limit access to the office through the use of corners, alcoves, different floor levels and distinguishing it by its functionality (Courtney, 2006). Security and safety are ways of providing privacy through the use of lockable doors and desks and the incorporation of the line concept. Privacy can further be enhanced through the use of the territory concept where the office is set aside while the size and space of the office should be reasonable. Leino-Kilpi et al. (2001) argue that privacy in a home office can be enhanced through the use of color, creation of harmony through general office arrangement, avoiding crowding through limited traffic, avoiding cluttering, and creation of comfort by using materials such as soft furnishings that have a personal touch.

Functions of Privacy in the Texan family

Altman (1975) identifies the functions of privacy as personal autonomy, protection of communication, the release of emotion and self-evaluation. Courtney (2006) suggests that personal autonomy relates to self-identity and independence. Individuals have to have a preferable environment that enables them to be truly themselves. This Texan family can achieve this by creating facilities for personal identity such as playing grounds and play items for the children, private rooms, and personal spaces for the adults. The parents also need a necessary environment for them to embrace their identities as parents, wives and husbands and grandmothers.

Westin (1970) observes that communication has to be limited to the people it is meant for in order to provide the privacy it is meant for. This Texan family requires limited communication for example by having the bedrooms situated strategically through the use of corners, alcoves, ergonomics and acoustics. These would enable communication to be limited especially in the bedrooms by having low ceilings that limit the tone of communication. Additionally, communication can be made private through the use of materials and green products that limit the level of noise that is heard from the outside. The view of the windows has to be made in a manner that limits noise pollution. Courtney (2006) further asserts that it is necessary to have rooms set up to fit the levels of communication. This is by providing spaces for communication without affecting others. Self-evaluation as a function of privacy requires space for reflection on personal experiences as well as strategizing on future actions (Altman, 1975). This Texan family can achieve this by providing a creative and inspirational environment. This can be enhanced by adopting personalized themes for different rooms for each of the family members, creating personal spaces, separating public spaces from individual spaces, and the use of acoustics to allow for peace and tranquility which encourage cognitive thoughts.

Altman (1975) emphasizes the need for individual release of emotions as a way of overcoming stress and hence privacy in this respect should be provided. Each of the family members of this Texan family has different experiences. The father needs privacy to be himself, vent out his frustrations, overcome his impairment and think cognitively. The grandmother needs a personal space that allows her to deal with issues of aging, frustrations and that provides relaxation and peace. The mother needs space that provides her the opportunity to release her stress, take up her family roles and work professionally. The children on the other hand require an environment that enables them to play, socialize, rest, and do their homework in a serene area. Further, they need space to be creative and engage in their world. Lumpkin (2000) outlines ways of enabling the family to release their emotions privately and include: the creation of safety and security, recreational facilities, acoustics to reduce noise and anthropometry.

Conclusion

This paper has reviewed the concept of privacy in design and the evolution and understanding of the theory of privacy regulation of Altman. The paper has mainly focused on incorporating the application of the privacy policy to a set of West Texan family. The paper has discussed the design of the Texan family that takes into consideration the psychological and physical impairment of the father and grandmother respectively, the home office needs of the mother as well as the influence of cultural setting. The major emphasis has been on the functions of privacy while considering other design principles and elements.

Reference List

Altman, I. (1975). The environment and social behavior: Privacy, personal space, territory, crowding. Monterey: Oxford University Press.
Biddulph, M. (2007). Introduction to residential layout. New York: Elsevier.
Courtney, K. (2006). Privacy and senior adoption of assistive technology in residential care. Columbia: University of Missouri.
Dewsbury, G., Taylor, B., & Edge, M. (2001). The process of designing appropriate Smart homes: Including the user in the design. Nottingham: University of Nottingham Press.
Hughes, M. (2004). Privacy in aged care. Journal of Aging, 23(3), 110- 114.
Leino-Kilpi, H., Dassen., & Scott, J. (2001). Privacy: A review of literature. Journal of Nursing Studies, 38(6), 663-671.
Lemonidou, C., Valimaki, N., & Dassen, M. (2002). Nurses’ and elderly patients’ perceptions regarding autonomy, privacy and informed consent in nursing interventions in Greece. Reviews in Clinical Gerontology, 12(3), 191-204.
Lumpkin, R. J. (2000). E-Health, HIPAA and beyond. Journal of Health Affairs, 19(6), 149-151.
Westin, A. (1970). Privacy and freedom. New York: Athenaeum.
Wilson, J., & Corlett, E. (2005). Evaluation of human work. London: CRC Press.

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