1. What is Close Shared Living Spaces?
2. Excessive Openness in Close Shared Living Spaces
3. Challenges to Boundaries, Privacy, and Emotional Self-Preservation
4. Consequences for Relationships and Sexuality
5. Solutions and Alternatives
6. Final Thoughts
1. What is Close Shared Living Spaces?
Close shared living spaces are places where people live in close proximity, sharing bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchens, and common areas. They may be shared houses, dormitories, hostels, communes, or apartments. The inhabitants of these spaces share resources, time, space, and personal lives in ways that other housing arrangements do not require.
2. Excessive Openness in Close Shared Living Spaces
In close shared living spaces, there is often an emphasis on openness and transparency between inhabitants. This can lead to challenges to boundaries, privacy, and emotional self-preservation.
If someone in a shared living space has a private conversation, others may hear it. If someone cooks something smelly or noisy, everyone else must deal with the odors and noise. If one person has a messy room, everyone in the house will have to look at it. In this way, excessive openness can make it difficult for individuals to maintain healthy boundaries.
3. Challenges to Boundaries, Privacy, and Emotional Self-Preservation
The lack of private space and privacy in close shared living spaces can cause difficulties for people's mental and physical wellbeing. People may feel exposed and vulnerable, leading to anxiety or depression. Intimate conversations or activities can become public knowledge, causing embarrassment or shame. Without clear boundaries, people may also struggle to protect their emotions and feelings from intrusion by others.
4. Consequences for Relationships and Sexuality
Close shared living spaces often involve relationships and intimacy between inhabitants. With increased exposure and interdependence comes increased risk. People may feel pressured to participate in sexual or romantic activities they would otherwise avoid. They may find themselves in uncomfortable situations, such as sharing a bed with someone they do not want to sleep with or being seen naked without consent. These scenarios can damage trust and safety within the community.
5. Solutions and Alternatives
There are solutions and alternatives available to address these challenges.
People can create separate spaces where they can go to be alone or have private conversations. They can communicate clearly about their needs and desires regarding privacy and boundaries. They can set rules and guidelines for behavior in communal areas that respect everyone's comfort level. Shared housing arrangements can also use gender-neutral bathrooms and bedrooms to reduce gendered expectations.
How does excessive openness within close shared living spaces challenge boundaries, privacy, and emotional self-preservation?
People who live closely together often feel the need to create individual boundaries and maintain their personal space. This is because sharing close physical space can be perceived as intrusive and may lead to conflicts if certain boundaries are not respected by all parties involved. Excessive openness may also challenge privacy since others may be able to see or hear things that they would otherwise prefer to keep private.