Personal Boundaries Research Articles

Chatbots or Humans? Effects of Agent Identity and Information Sensitivity on Users’ Privacy Management and Behavioral Intentions: A Comparative Experimental Study between China and the United States

Chatbots have been widely adopted to support online customer service and supplement human agents. However, online data transmission may involve privacy issues and arouse users’ privacy concerns. In order to understand the privacy management mechanism when interacting with chatbots and human agents, we designed a cross-national comparative study and conducted online experiments in China and the United States based on Communication Privacy Management (CPM) theory. The results show that privacy concerns and boundary linkage played different mediation roles between agent identity and the intention to disclose as well as the intention to use the service. Information sensitivity had a significant moderating effect on the mechanism. Our research contributes to a better understanding of personal boundary management in the context of human-machine interaction.

Types of action orientation of primary nurses in building relationships with their patients in forensic psychiatric hospitals

Types of action orientation of primary nurses in building relationships with their patients in forensic psychiatric hospitals Abstract. Background: Building interpersonal relationships with patients is one of the most elementary tasks of mental health nurses in forensic psychiatric hospitals and should be considered as the core of their professional identity. The attitude of forensic psychiatric nurses has a substantial impact on building relationships even though this is often not immediately obvious as an implicit concept. Research question: Which types of action orientation of primary nurses characterize the building of relationships with their patients in forensic psychiatric hospitals? Methodology: To record the collective orientations of nurses, two group discussions were held with eight participants. The evaluation was carried out based on the documentary method. Results: Four types of orientations could be grouped into a generalizable basic typology. The focus is set on the relationship as a necessary precondition for successful cooperation with the patient. Honesty and mutual trust are significant features. Conversations about everyday topics facilitate relationship building. Openness and a genuine interest in the patient are equally as important as the definition and maintenance of personal boundaries. Conclusion: Implicit, action-oriented attitudes of forensic psychiatric nurses should be reflectively accessed in order to define professional relationships and maintain their boundaries. To achieve this, nurses need to have a structured framework to facilitate self-reflection and self-awareness. The goal is the systematic development of personal and interactional competences.

Child placement in the community: Socio‐religious challenges for Druze social workers in Israel

AbstractThis article features insights from 15 Druze social workers in Israel regarding their experiences dealing with out‐of‐home placement for Druze children. The study reveals the distinct challenges faced by social workers in bridging professional and socio‐religious values and the caution with which they navigate a complex reality and strive to provide culturally appropriate interventions while facing limitations on their freedom of action. Socio‐religious characteristics of the Druze influence the interventions of social workers including the restriction on adoption and limited interaction between divorced partners. The process of removing a child from their home can be complex and challenging. This is often due to concerns regarding stigma and the strong desire within closely knit communities to preserve the family name and reputation. Moreover, most Druze social workers reside in Druze villages which can blur the line between personal and professional boundaries. This article underscores the importance of hearing the voices of minority therapists in order to promote culturally competent interventions in social work within the community.

Voices from Service Providers Who Supported Young Caregivers throughout the COVID-19 Pandemic in the Canadian Context.

This empirical research is part of a larger project beginning in 2020 and ongoing until 2023, exploring the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on young caregivers aged 5-25 years and their families in Canada. This qualitative research utilizes the social determinants of health as a conceptual framework and a collective case study design to emphasize the voices and experiences of service providers (professionals offering services to young caregiver clients) during the COVID-19 pandemic, and exploring their perspectives on the impact of the pandemic on young caregivers and their families. The central research question guiding this study was "How do service providers (professionals) working with young caregiver clients in Canada describe the impacts of the pandemic on themselves, their professional praxis, and on their young caregiver clients?" The aim of this study was to develop a deeper understanding of the impact of the pandemic on young caregivers in Canada, from the perspectives of service providers, as well as to understand the experiences of service providers in their own voices. Data were collected from service providers working within three (3) different organizations offering programs and services to young caregiver clients in Ontario, Canada. In total, six (6) individual interviews were conducted with service providers who were directors/program managers, and four (4) group interviews were conducted with thirteen (13) service providers who were frontline staff members who worked directly with young caregivers and their families. In total, nineteen (n = 19) unique service providers participated in this study. Our findings point to two primary overarching themes, namely (1) service providers' responses to the pandemic and (2) observations by service providers about the impacts of the pandemic on young caregivers, and a secondary theme, (3) positive outcomes from the COVID-19 pandemic on young caregivers, that emerged through the analysis. The pandemic led to increased demands for services by young caregiver clients. Service providers were required to adapt their service delivery methods in order to comply with public health guidelines. They shared how their work impacted their mental health as they struggled to maintain personal and professional boundaries while working from home during the pandemic. Importantly, service providers identified similar, simultaneous, and co-occurring impacts of the pandemic between their young caregiver clients, including isolation, difficulties in navigating online spaces, and challenges in navigating boundaries while working from home with family members.

Gender Confirmation Work, Rest, and Symbolic Boundaries in (Trans)Gender Support Groups

Research on transgender identity and community boundaries has developed steadily over the last decade, but many of the inquiries center around personal identity boundaries and development rather than collective boundary drawing. To understand how and why gendered symbolic boundaries are drawn and enforced in shared spaces, I collected and analyzed qualitative data from thirteen in-depth interviews with trans people in gender support groups in the United States. I investigated the symbolic boundaries that members of gender support groups draw around who “counts” as trans, who is welcome in the groups, and factors that influence boundary drawing. I found that trans participants engage in high amounts of emotional work, that I term gender confirmation work, to uphold their gender identities in a cisnormative world. Consequently, gender support groups function as space of rest from work, and boundaries are drawn to ensure rest inside the groups. My study on gender support group membership boundaries advances new terms to describe trans people’s response to gender-based harm. My findings also demonstrate how trans people—a marginalized population—employ group strategies for navigating cisgender-dominant society.

Existential Ethics: Thinking Hard About Lawyer Responsibility for Clients’ Environmental Harms

Abstract This paper challenges the conventional understanding among many legal ethicists that environmental harm can be a necessary, if regrettable, collateral effect of lawyerly work. It argues that lawyers sometimes do things that cost society too much and that legal ethics (being the rules of ethical conduct set out by regulators of lawyers and broader theories of ‘good’ lawyering) has the potential to act as a mediator on lawyers’ environmental harm-causing action. The paper begins by examining lawyers’ formal rules of professional conduct in England & Wales, showing how those rules require lawyers to provide active counselling to clients but do not fully address clients’ legally permissible choices that may result in environmental harm. The paper then turns to theories of legal ethics that go beyond these baseline rules. Here, I argue that the dominant ‘Standard Conception’ of lawyers as neutral technicians is not only implausible in the context of environmental law but also fundamentally incomplete. The paper also considers the ethical implications of a lawyer’s initial decision to represent a client. The commonly held belief that ‘Everyone deserves legal advice’ often masks a simple ethical choice, where lawyers prioritise commercial concerns over environmental considerations, unburdened by more complex ethical constraints. However, this rationalisation rests on unsound premises and frequently clashes with lawyers’ personal moral boundaries; a problem I label ‘Meatloaf Lawyering’. Ultimately, I argue that lawyers have significant ethical agency and that their professional obligations do not impede (and sometimes require) an active, ethically responsible stance towards environmental harms.

Perceptions of professional social media interaction with patients and faculty members – a comparative survey among dental students from Malaysia and Finland

BackgroundProfessional and personal boundaries are blurred with the wide application of social media (SM) in the health professions line of work. Little is known about practice of extending friend requests to patients and faculty members among dental students, which encompass a part of E-professionalism. The aim of this study is to assess the factors associated with the perceptions and practices of interactions with patients and faculty on SM among dental students from Malaysia and Finland.MethodsDental students from 4 institutions in Malaysia and Finland completed self-administered questionnaires on the practices and perceptions of SM use. The main variables assessed were the perceptions and practices of student-patient and student-faculty communication on SM, between the two countries. Students’ country, age, gender, time spent on SM and perceived importance of communicating dental related aspects over SM were analysed as potential explanatory variables. Crosstabulation was used to estimate the distributions of the response variables by the background characteristics. Multivariate analyses were performed using a dichotomous logistic regression model to investigate relevant associations between the responses and the explanatory variables independent from other factors.ResultsA total of 643 students completed the survey in March-April 2021. More Malaysian students agreed with “guiding patients online is a new responsibility for dentists in the digital age” compared to Finnish students (86.4% vs. 73.4%). Similarly, significantly more Malaysian students befriended patients (14.1% vs. 1%) and invited faculty to be friends on SM (73.6% vs. 11.8%). Expectedly, clinical year students befriended patients more than pre-clinical (13.8% vs. 6.8%). Significantly more students who felt ‘communication of dental related issues over SM’ were likely to extend friend requests to faculty rather than accept patient friend requests.ConclusionsSocial media regulations and socio-cultural practices contribute to dental students’ attitudes and behaviour when befriending patients and faculty members on social media. Future dental curriculum should incorporate guidelines for professional communication on social media based on local and cultural needs. Students’ should be encouraged to interact with their patients using professional identities on social media.

Self-Transcendence as a Mediator of the Relationship Between Reminiscence Functions and Death Anxiety: Implications for Psychiatric Nurses.

Jordan's population of older adults is growing due to improved health care and lifestyle, but the country has limited mental health care resources, causing challenges for the health care system. Reminiscence is a point of nursing intervention and a way for psychiatric nurses to help people improve their mental health by expanding their personal boundaries (self-transcendence). The study aimed to examine the mediating effects of self-transcendence on the relationship between reminiscence functions and death anxiety in a sample of Jordanian older adults. Psychiatric nurses can refine reminiscence therapy by targeting aspects of self-transcendence to reduce death anxiety. An online cross-sectional survey was employed to collect the data. A total of 319 older adults participated in the study. The sample was recruited using convenience and snowball sampling strategies through social media and personal contacts. The reminiscence function of "Bitterness Revival," gender, the presence of a life-threatening disease, a history of psychiatric disorder, and the work sector were statistically significant predictors of death anxiety. This model accounts for 24% of the death anxiety score (F = 7.789, p < .001). Reminiscence functions 1, 2, and 5 predicted self-transcendence. This model explained 25% of the variance in the self-transcendence score (F = 6.548, p < .001). Self-transcendence exerts a positive, partial mediating effect between "Bitterness Revival" and death anxiety, controlling for other covariates in the death anxiety model (p = .016). The study is informative for understanding the role of self-transcendence in buffering death anxiety, notwithstanding "Bitterness Revival" reminiscences. This knowledge reveals practical implications for psychiatric nurses about the importance of developing reminiscence interventions to promote self-transcendence and ease death anxiety.

Defining and Operationalizing Key Themes of High-quality Psychosocial Support Using the Concept Mapping Method:

Introduction:International psychosocial support guidelines reflect consensus on support principles and interventions. However, no consensus exists on what recipients consider important elements of service delivery. Within two contexts – after a potentially traumatic event (PTE) and people with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA)–the aims were to contribute to (1) understanding which psychosocial support aspects are considered important by recipients and relevant stakeholders; (2) developing instruments to test and integrate those aspects in practice, in order to evaluate the quality of psychosocial support from the recipient’s perspective.Method:Concept mapping was used to achieve consensus on key themes of psychosocial support. These were operationalized in surveys and pilot-tested, conforming to the Consumer Quality Index. This determines the importance and needs for improvement.Results:Concept mapping resulted in eight key themes within the PTE context and six in the SMA context. PTE survey (N= 132) results showed key themes “an approach that starts from the needs and capacities of the affected one” and “monitoring individuals affected and initiating follow-up where needed” were most important. Key theme “providing information on common emotional reactions” received the highest score of perceived need for improvement. SMA survey (N= 57) results showed key themes “an approach that incorporates all aspects of a human being” and “a respectful approach and awareness of personal boundaries” as most important. The perceived need for improvement of the key theme “availability and accessibility of quality information” was ranked the highest.Conclusion:The similarities between both contexts support the notion that there are universal aspects of psychosocial support. Simultaneously, the context-specific idiosyncrasies found underscore the necessity to adapt to context. The surveys have the potential to contribute to a growing toolbox of quality evaluation instruments.

Internet space in the contemporary drama about teenagers

The article considers modern plays that show the peculiarities of the teenagers communication in the Internet. The aim of the study is to determine the impact that, according to playwrights, in the Internet communication has on the fate of adolescents. The empirical material for the study was the plays of 2013-2020, noted at the competitions of the contemporary dramaturgy and included in the collections of teenage plays: "Photo topless" by N. Blok, "That's all she" by A. Ivanov, "Mart and Sliva" by E. Bizyaeva, "Gandhi was silent on Saturdays" by A. Bukreeva. The theoretical and methodological basis of the study is based on a combination of an interdisciplinary approach with an analysis of works on literary criticism, theater studies and psychology. As a result of the investigation, it was found that playwrights reconstruct the situation of characters' being in the Internet and reflect the communication of teenagers with their peers, adults and anonymous users, whose age or gender cannot be determined. The emerging conflict situations are associated with the violation of personal boundaries (bringing the conflict into the public space of the Internet), the substitution of live communication with virtual one, the manipulation by adults of the fragile consciousness of children. In some cases, the Internet space is portrayed as a digital copy of the real life of adolescents, while the Internet becomes a platform to which traditional adolescent conflicts are transferred. In other cases, the Internet becomes a place where a teenager goes to, being in conflict with the present.

Thematic Analysis of Career Problems of Social Workers

Aim: Considering the prevalence of career problems in the helping professions, the aim of the present study was to investigate the career problems of social workers.&#x0D; Methods: This qualitative study was conducted using thematic analysis approach. The population included all the social workers of Shahrekord city, 17 of whom were selected through purposeful sampling until theoretical data saturation was reached. For collecting the information, semi-structured interviews were used. Atride-Sterling network theme analysis method was used to analyze the data.&#x0D; Findings: Social workers perceive career problems in three overarching themes: Intrapersonal problems, interpersonal problems and transpersonal problems. Intrapersonal problems included two organizing themes of emotional-sentimental problems (anxiety, general depression, burnout and violence), and physical problems. In the field of interpersonal problems, the themes of the organizer include: career problems transfer into the family and home, communication problems with clients (collapse of work and personal boundaries with clients, inability to manage clients' high expectations and cultural, educational and social problems of clients), problems related to lack of organizational commitment (feeling of discrimination and low conscientiousness of colleagues), problems related to the policy of the organization (change and diversity of the policy of the organization and the contradiction of the policy of the organization with the needs of clients). The reports of the social workers in the context of transpersonal problems also indicated that the problems related to the nature of the job (high volume of work, high challenge of work), problems related to working conditions (high noise, inappropriate ergonomics and pollution of the work environment) financial and welfare problems and the interference of living environment problems with job duties were the factors that led to career problems in this profession.&#x0D; Conclusion: Based on the research findings, it can be concluded that social work is a very challenging job and social workers are among the most vulnerable groups of society who experience many problems in various fields, where the involved related organizations can help them reduce these problems by using career counselors and psychologists, in addition to better comprehensive planning

The specifics of cognitive and behavioral responses to therapy of the patients with borderline personality disorder: overview of foreign studies

The study of diagnostic methods and the development of methods for the treatment of personality disorders is a significant scientific task. Personality disorders, including borderline personality disorder, characterized by hypertrophied emotions and a violation of self-identification, are painful for both patients and their loved ones. The article analyzes the results of a number of studies and observations in the field of experience of the treatment of borderline personality disorder. Cognitive and behavioral responses to therapy of the patients with borderline personality disorder are considered, as well as the features of building a therapeutic alliance, the formation of epistemological trust of the patient to the therapist, resistance to therapy and early dropout. Based on the analysis of a number of studies, it was found that patients with borderline personality disorder are in dire need of psychotherapy, believe that the therapist is the person who can solve all their problems, often transfer responsibility for their condition on him, forming a kind of child–parent relationship. Because of this, patients with borderline personality disorder often violate the therapist's personal boundaries, demanding his availability at any time. Such patients may perceive therapy as the only safe environment. At the same time, due to the fear of rejection, the formation of a therapeutic alliance takes a long time.

몸의 주체성 확립 과정에 대한 자문화기술지

The purpose of this study is to show the experience and reflection on how my body has established its subjectivity in the personal, familial, and social boundaries of each stage of life development. The research question is ‘what I have reflected through the experience of the body in the process of life development?’. As a research method, the auto-ethnography was used. In order to collect research data, diary, personal counseling journal, program records, and writings for literary creative contests were collected based on self-recall materials. Then organized and signified according to the research theme. As a result of the data analysis, the subjects of the body according to the stages of life development were named as ‘childhood - the rough body of a great tomboy’, ‘adolescence - the shameful body trapped in the gaze of others’, ‘the young adulthood - the body of the struggle for recognition in the bridle of society’, and ‘middle age - the body that accepts me, others and society’. Through the research process, the researcher has noticed the transformation of beings who want to pursue life from ‘instrumentalized body’ to ‘expanded body’, and intends to carry out self-care to apply it to the everyday world. Based on the results, this study suggests ways to support children and adolescents to form an autonomous and positive image of their bodies.

Personal Space Preferences Depending on Behaviour at A Psychiatric Hospital Garden

Bu çalışma yardımıyla ruh ve sinir hastalıkları hastane bahçelerinde kullanıcıların alanda gerçekleştirilen etkinliğe bağlı olarak farklı mekânlardaki doğallık ve kapalılık kriterlerine göre alan tercih farklılıklarının ortaya konulması amaçlanmıştır. Bu nedenle 11 farklı aktivite alanı için doğallık ve kapalılık kriterleri dikkate alınarak dört farklı seçenek üretilmiştir. Bu farklılığı belirleyebilmek için Ataköy Ruh ve Sinir Hastalıkları Hastanesinde yatan 101 hasta ve karşılaştırma grubu olarak ta 101 zihinsel hastalık öyküsü bulunmayan gönüllü (34 ziyaretçi, 33 peyzaj mimarı ve 34 psikiyatri stajı almış tıp fakültesi öğrencileri) olmak üzere toplam 202 hastane bahçesi kullanıcısı üzerinde araştırma yürütülmüştür. Hastaların tamamı hastanede ilaçlı tedavi gören ve hastane bahçesini bizzat kullanan hastalardır. Çalışmada, hastaların kendilerine ait kişisel alan sınırlarının diğer kullanıcı grubundan farklı olup olmadığına, hastalık tipinin ve cinsiyet farklılığının kişisel alan sınırları üzerinde etkili olup olmadığına bakılmıştır. Kullanıcıların hangi mekân ve hangi etkinlik için hangi kapalılık ve doğallık indekslerini tercih ettikleri ve bu mekânları tercih etme nedenleri sorgulanmıştır. Sonuç olarak hastaların diğer kullanıcı grubuna göre kişisel mekân sınırlarının daha geniş olduğu ve daha çok kapalı mekânları istedikleri ve ayrıca her iki grubun da doğal olan seçenekleri tercih ettiği çalışma sonucunda ortaya çıkmıştır. Etkinlik alan sınırları belirlenirken hastaların kendilerini rahat ve konforlu hissedecekleri çözümlerin üretilmesinin gerekliliği çalışma sonucunda ortaya konmuştur.

Older Adults With Vision Impairment: Living Their Best Life

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to synthesize evidence from a review of literature and interviews with vision loss experts to offer recommendations for older adults living with vision impairment, their family members, community members, and health care providers to foster functional independence and quality of life. Background The term “vision impairment” (VI) describes difficulty in accomplishing activities of daily living (ADLS), instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) or other functions due to an inability to see well. 9% of adults age 65 and older experience VI with the highest prevalence among those over age 80 (25%). VI is associated with depression, social isolation, low quality of life, loss of independence, and cognitive decline. Individuals may not be aware of strategies to diminish the impact of VI. Method We performed a search for peer-reviewed articles published between 1980–2022 using the CINAHL, Medline, and PubMed databases. Search terms included: older adult, vision impairment, blind, activities of daily living, independence, quality of life, magnification, lighting, and older adults. Eleven relevant articles were selected. We also spoke with several experts, including a certified occupational therapist’s assistant who specializes in geriatrics, a licensed clinical social worker specializing in older adults with vision impairment, and a blindness rehabilitation sensory impairment specialist. Recommendations Recommendations fall into two categories: lived environment modifications and interpersonal interactions. Environment modifications include lighting, magnification, contrast, and nonvisual skills to augment remaining vision. Interpersonal interactions, such as following certain guidelines when entering or exiting a room and respecting personal boundaries, can increase autonomy and independence. Older adults receive regular eye exams to be assessed for refractive error and eye disease. When simple changes are made and maintained by older adults with VI and those who interact with them, increased independence and quality of life can be achieved.

Identification of current needs of psychological and pedagogical support of families with children who have had cancer and hematological diseases

Introduction. The issue of the quality of life of children with life-threatening illnesses is directly related to the emotional trauma experienced by the entire family. In order to overcome the difficulties encountered and to help, a well-coordinated teamwork of specialists: doctors, psychologists, rehabilitation therapists, teachers, social workers, and an understanding of the current picture of the state of the intrafamily situation and the child are needed. The purpose of the study: to identify current needs of psychological and pedagogical support of families with children who have had cancer and hematological diseases in order to understand what corrective, developmental, adaptive measures are necessary to build an effective, harmonious psychological, social and pedagogical support in the post-hospital period. Materials and methods. For gathering of the information we used: the author's questionnaire of definition of the current rehabilitation situation, the technique "Parent's composition" by A.A. Shvedovskaya; family sociogram by E.G. Eidemiller, V.V. Justitzkis. We interviewed 110 respondents, 55 of them were parents and 55 children at the age of 6-14 years old, with a history of oncohematological diagnosis, being in remission at the moment of the study. Results. Specific fears and limitations of parents regarding health, learning and communication issues of their children were identified. Most families (75%) understand that successful rehabilitation requires a comprehensive approach. Problems with attention, assiduity and memorization of children (42%) were identified among difficulties. Second place in prevalence – problems in building contacts with children and new adults 34% (shyness, inability to maintain a dialogue, etc.). In third place was low interest in learning (28%). Actual themes for psychological support were the construction of personal boundaries of the relationship with the siblings, the resolution of school difficulties, the development of independence, the improvement of communication skills, and emotional intelligence. No symptoms of hospitalism and destructive relations were revealed. Conclusions. The data obtained can be used by psychologists, social workers, and health care specialists to provide comprehensive support and assistance to children who have suffered from oncohematological diseases and their families during the rehabilitation period.

Local Absence, Global Supply: Lebanese Youth, Sexual Education, and a Netflix Series

ABSTRACT This paper investigates the potential that mediated text can have on expanding Lebanese young people’s notions and understandings of sexuality beyond their personal boundaries and the immediate local context to uncover the portrayal of these notions within a global mediated space. It specifically seeks to examine the intersection between Lebanese youth media practices and sexual learning by identifying the extent to which watching the hit Netflix series Sex Education, affected young people’s sexual identities, knowledge and practices. Four focus groups, each comprised of six respondents, described the importance of the series in influencing young people’s sexual learning and thoughts in a society where sexuality and sexual subjects are taboo. The four main discussion themes that were developed – namely, Open Mindedness: transgression, acceptance and respect; Transformation: life skills and right choices; Gender Equality, Well-being and Health; Reliability/identification and the Need for Trustworthy Connections; and the Need to Re-educate Family and Society about Sex – underscore the importance of the series as a learning tool, the need for the re-introduction of sexual education as part of school curricula in Lebanon, and the re-education of society more generally to help foster healthier sexual lives among young people.

Ambiguities of Despotic Power in Xenophon’s Cyropaedia

The ambiguity of Xenophon’s Cyropaedia, a fictionalised portrait of Cyrus the Great and his rise to rule an empire, has led present-day interpretations to diverge widely. Should Cyrus be seen as an ideal king, whose capabilities exceed those of other rulers, or a despot whose ascent to power depends on deception and manipulation? This paper uses the modern conceptualisation of transgression to look at Xenophon’s careful depiction of political and personal boundaries throughout the work. It suggests that the key final episode of the work, Cyrus’ return to his home in Persia (Cyropaedia 8.5), shows that Cyrus retains a respect for both political and personal boundaries; this offers a further challenge to ‘republic to empire’ readings of the work.

Passage to the Orient (1993): Re-assessing the Role of the ‘Orient’ as ‘Avant-garde’ during the Rise of Globalisation

Of the several exhibitions that composed the 1993 Venice Biennale, Passage to the Orient has received the most commentary. Its fame is doubtless linked to its display of works by fourteen Chinese painters, exhibited for the first time in Venice. However, the exhibition was not devoted solely to Chinese art. It was rather intended as the manifesto for a new, international approach by the Biennale, significantly announcing its commitment to East–West dialogue, with East intended as both geographical and symbolic. From the curator’s perspective, the concept of the Orient evoked the unknown and the new; in Said’s terms it was ‘Orientalist’. Moreover, the symbolic figure of Marco Polo, who inspired the exhibition’s title, recalled the idea of ‘trespassing’, of moving beyond personal, geographic, political, and historical boundaries. Through an investigation around the use of the concept of ‘Marco Polo Syndrome’, the layered meaning of the term avant-garde in Bonito Oliva’s jargon and his broader scope in rejuvenating the Biennale’s international vocation, this essay aims to redefine how the term Orient was used during the rise of globalisation at the beginning of the 1990s. Finally, such analysis proves helpful in framing continuity between the concepts of historical avant-garde and contemporaneity during the transitional period of the 1990s.

Ecology of personal boundaries among youth

The article examines the problem of the ecological nature of personal boundaries among youth. It is emphasized that personal boundaries separate the inner world of a person from the outside world, from other people, because life is almost impossible without boundaries. It is noted that the optimal boundaries of the individual give the right to openly express their feelings, to be themselves, ensuring the environmental friendliness of the personal space of young people. The psychological boundary is important in the process of interpersonal communication and people's perception of each other. It is highlighted that without clearly defined comfortable boundaries, people experience significant problems in everyday life, in relationships with relatives and friends, colleagues, environment, etc. The author also draws attention to the fact that a person feels well in the environment with normal and healthy personal boundaries. Such a person is able to communicate, enter into relationships, develop and support them. Healthy boundaries are flexible; a person easily understands and determines at what level they is comfortable communicating, and whether they wants this communication at all. A person is able to get closer or, on the contrary, move away if they understand that something is not working out in the relationship.The article contains the conducted empirical research. The results of the correlation analysis confirm the relationship between self-esteem and personal boundaries in adolescence. That means that a person with low self-esteem has a high probability of difficulty distancing themself from other people. According to the results of the empirical research, we determined that the ecology of personal boundaries depends on self-esteem of adolescents. The ecology of personal boundaries is a psychological formation that arises as a result of the interaction or establishment of relationships between the desire to preserve spontaneity and authenticity and the need for social adaptation. A person protects their own ecological space from aggressive invasion attempts.