This past week in my Family Relations class we learned about relationships and the many different boundaries that can be found in relationships.

Some of these boundaries include:

 

Rigid boundaries little exchange of information or warmth

Permeable or clear boundaries an appropriate or healthy degree and quality exchange of information or warmth

Poor or diffuse boundaries. These are called unclear boundaries because they often fail to define the boundaries between individuals.  

Affiliation, or involvement between individuals or subsystems.

Overinvolvement  there is too much exchange of information or behavior.

Conflict is indidicated by lines with an obvious break

Detouring refers to the behavior of relating or responding to others via another.

 

All of these are important boundaries to understand because they can have an impact on our communication and our ability to trust and learn from each other. If we have rigid boundaries then communication faulters and conflicts aren't as easily resolved.

I think something that we should all be challenged to do is create more permeable boundaries so that it won't have a negative impact on our families. If we try to have permeable relationships with our spouses then I believe that many of the other relationships in family will become much more blanced.