ABSTRACT
Consider the following scenarios: (a) Two friends are engrossed in conversation when one prefaces her remarks to the other with “Remember, this is strictly confidential” and proceeds to discuss a private matter and (b) a letter, marked “confidential,” arrives at the mail room of a large corporation and is automatically opened and forwarded to the addressee. These incidents exemplify the vernacular usage of the term confidential. Given its various popular meanings, it is important that psychologists understand its professional meaning and implications.
