Family Boundaries Definition:- Concept used to delineate one system or subsystem from other systems or subsystems, or from the surrounding environment. - Occur when two or more systems or subsystems interface, interact, or come together - the walls, borders, or limits of a system.1. External Boundaries – distinction between the family and the outside environment.2. Internal Boundaries – physical (space) and emotional boundaries amongst members in the family (siblings, parents) – i.e. – tolerance for autonomy and individuality.3. Physical Boundaries4. Emotional/Psychological Boundaries Boundaries are not static:- Operate through change and variation- Boundaries are defined, managed, and maintained by rules, norms, rituals- Reflective of family identity and ideology  Boundaries are affected by alliances:- Permeability - Disengaged- Enmeshed- Alliance – two people share an interest.- Coalition– two people act against the other; problematic relationship.- Cross-Generational Coalition – Parent and child against parent; spouse and parent against other spouse; undermines relationships, removes cohesion/unity.  Closed /Enmeshed Boundaries- Closed / Rigid – very powerful and controlling, information is restricted, family is the only trustable source; sheltered.- Health of family is reflected in its response to diversity; receptiveness to new values and ideas.  Open /Disengaged Boundaries- Changes are developmentally dependent upon the needs of the family, boundaries will continually shift; child birth is more enmeshed than adolescence.- Outsiders represent a part of your lived experience.- Individuals are left to fend for themselves.- MANTRA: Keep to yourself; maintain individuality; do not expect help from others.- Marriage between two cultures forces families to readjust idea of boundaries as a result of different cultural ideas. Within the Family:- Patterns may be similar for all family members; distinctions are present. Four Patterns with Boundaries1. Bonding – process when family members are attached to one another (healthy, warm, accepting). Internal boundary.o Enmeshment: Extreme boundary that forms from this process.2. Buffering – process where family members preserve a measure of personal identity and limit the degree of enmeshment; Internal boundary.o Disengaged: (no connection) – forms from this process.o Example: Letting individuals make their own choices; no guidance/advice provided.3. Bounding – defining composition of the family – provides measure of protection for family members to transition in and out of the family; maintenance of external boundary.o Closed: (exclusiveness) Extreme boundary that forms from this process.o Example: privacy, sleepovers.4. Bridging – facilitates family members' connections with the outside world. Promotes community involvement; relates to external boundary.o Open: (no clear boundary with the outside environment).o Example: Open door policy, friendship invitations. Three Targets of Boundaries• Power – influence, personal authority, control.• Intimacy • Meaning When Anxiety From The Three Targets Isn't Managed- Attention/approval seeking behaviors, testing others' affection and concern.- Trust – Will you meet my needs, expect the worst from others, isolate or detach.- Competence – Sense of failure, shame, insecurity, apathy; become an over-achiever, people pleaser,substance abuser.- Families with high anxiety are often the families with closed boundary