isengagement, isolation, and autonomy. In a positive sense, parental rigidity encourages independence and initiative in children. In a negative sense, rigid parental boundaries distance parents from children and foster a cold, uncaring family atmosphere.
On the opposite end of the spectrum from rigid boundaries are diffused boundaries. Diffused boundaries are associated with enmeshed family subsystems. Enmeshed parents dote on their children. If a positive enmeshed boundary is maintained, mutual respect results. Negative enmeshed subsystems are characterized by overprotective parents who stifle their children's interactions with peers. Nichols and Schwartz (1995) contend that we live in a child-centered culture that condones an extremely diffuse boundary between parent and child: "All too often, husband and wife give up the space they need for supporting each other when children are born" (p. 215).
Clear boundaries encourage normal interpersonal relationships. In normal family development, prior to the advent of children, the spousal subsystem is engaged in accommodating the needs of both parties while delineating the boundaries between themselves and the outside world. The addition of children transforms the spousal subsystem into a dual structure consisting of parental and sibling subsystems. The means in which the spousal subsystem negotiates this critical transition determines whether family development will proceed in a normal or dysfunctional pattern.
From a structural therapy perspective, Freud's little Hans (the subject of "A Phobia in a Five Year-old") and his family were enmeshed in a dysfunctional family pattern. Granted, Hans' mother and father embarked upon their parental duties with good intentions: "They had agreed that in bringing up their first child they would use no more coercion than might be absolutely necessary for maintaining good behavior" (Freud, 1963, p. 48). However, it is clear tha...