BOUNDARY RULES - FACTORS THAT INHIBIT EXPRESSING CONCERNS ABOUT ANOTHERS ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIP

Boundary rules are social conventions that protect the primary activit ies of a relationship from extrarelational interference. This study ex amines how boundary rules restrict the ability of individuals to expre ss their concerns about the negative behavior and characteristics of a friend's romantic partner, A survey of college students indicated tha t about 50% of their concerns had been communicated to their friend, b ut less than 10% were expressed directly to the romantic partner. Resp ondents provided a variety of reasons for not disclosing irritations a s well as specifying conditions under which they could express their c oncerns. Females were more likely than males to disclose their concern s to the friend, but no gender differences were found with regard to d isclosing irritations to the romantic partner.