In married life, many people mistakenly believe that being attached means not needing private space. However, psychological studies show that the lack of personal boundaries is one of the silent causes leading to marital breakdown.
According to the American Psychological Association (APA), personal boundaries help each person maintain identity, feelings of security and mutual respect in relationships. When a person frequently infringes on the privacy of their partner – from controlling the phone, imposing thoughts to deeply interfering in personal relationships – the relationship will gradually lose the necessary balance.
Psychology Today said that couples who do not set clear boundaries are often prone to falling into a spiral of emotional stress. Controlled people tend to feel suffocated, lose freedom and gradually withdraw. Meanwhile, controlled people often originate from fear of being abandoned, leading to excessive supervision, unintentionally hurting the other person.
The Gottman Institute for Marriage Studies (USA) also pointed out that many broken marriages do not start with major conflicts, but from the feeling of "no longer being yourself" when living together. When respect for boundaries disappears, communication becomes negative, trust declines and emotional distance grows.
Worryingly, breakups often take place in silence. The two people still share the same roof but no longer share, no longer listen. Marriage at that time is no longer a safe place to return to, but becomes a source of prolonged mental pressure.
Experts all emphasize that personal boundaries do not distance marriage, but help love become more sustainable. Respecting each other's private space, emotions and choices is the way to maintain long-term cohesion. Because in the end, a happy home is not a place where two people break up, but a place where each person can be themselves and still feel loved.
