Journal of Counseling Research

Aim: The aim of this study was to compare the parent-adolescent perception about the flexibility of family boundaries based on development.

Method: this research was done by qualitative research method and phenomenological approach. By convenience sampling, 10 girl adolescents aged from 15 to 18 and their mothers aged 37 to 55 were selected and their perceptions of family boundaries were studied by deep semi-structured interviews. Then the data were classified and coded and the results were expressed by validity report method.

Findings: the analysis of participants’ experiences leaded to three main themes which include flexibility, lack of flexibility and exorbitant flexibility of family boundaries from parents and their adolescents’ point of view. Also from each of the three themes above, 14, 5 and 1 sub-themes in parents and 3, 5 and 6 sub-themes in adolescents were gained.

Conclusion: the results showed that according to the in transition context of the society of Iran, none of the two conditions of lack of flexibility and exorbitant flexibility can meet the adolescents’ needs and protect the basic security of family. Hence it seems essential for the officials of mental health, to make parents aware of how to balance the boundaries inside the family. Also conducting negotiations on family rules and the compliance of parents on the boundaries were the preventing factors of problems in families with flexible boundaries, that ignoring them in families with strict or permissive boundaries causes dissatisfaction in adolescents and makes the basic security of family at risk.