ABSTRACT
Boundaries are important for the development and functioning of any human system, including the individual, the family, and social groups. M. S. Mahler’s developmental theory, describing how a human infant moves from symbiosis to object constancy and focusing on separation-individuation, is actually a description of the infant’s struggle to develop normal boundaries which will be crucial to his/her future relationship. Boundaries are especially important for enhancing self-disclosure in groups. The boundaries of the self system should also be considered when talking about groups. Western cultures are so used to taking boundaries seriously, and perceiving boundary keeping as crucial for obtaining adult responsibilities and business obligations, that it is hard to imagine that different cultures relate very differently to the issue of boundaries. Boundaries in Internet groups seem non-existent. There is neither spatial boundary, as Cyberspace is not endless, nor time boundaries, as the Internet forum never stops and people can write to it all the time.
