Some limits of the boundary concept

A reexamination of the boundary concept and its applicability to different theoretical approaches to psychoanalysis reveals it to be of questionable usefulness in the present climate of psychoanalytic pluralism. In the light of clinical illustrations, it is suggested that an underlying problem with this concept may be a failure to discriminate between technical and moral dimensions. The necessity of separating the legal issues involved is also indicated. Recognizing the existence of separate domains and considering the rules that apply to each are offered as an alternative to focusing on boundary concepts.