Strictly speaking ruby, private only forbids calling the method in question with an explicit receiver. object_instance.private_method is obviously prohibited,

Strictly speaking ruby, private only forbids calling the method in question with an explicit receiver. object_instance.private_method is obviously prohibited, but so is self.private_method when called from another class method. The latter one is fine when private_method is called, without the self. To circumvent privateness in the other case ("calling an underscored method") you would have to say object_instance.send(:private_method).