{"id":229,"date":"2011-02-21T13:05:55","date_gmt":"2011-02-21T13:05:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jungian.co.za\/?p=229"},"modified":"2011-05-31T16:02:44","modified_gmt":"2011-05-31T16:02:44","slug":"home-based-and-family-businesses-territoriality-and-privacy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jungian.co.za\/?p=229","title":{"rendered":"Home-Based and Family Businesses-Territoriality and Privacy | Johannesburg | Jungian Analyst | Leslie Zimmermann"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Territory\u00a0 and Territorial Markers to Guard Privacy Boundaries<\/span><\/strong>. Privacy is the right to control your own body; to control your own living space; to control your own identity; the right to control information about yourself; the right to prevent disclosure of private facts; of being free from the observations of others at times; of limiting visual access and exposure which leads to unwarranted penetrations and thus, information. In our modern world, this control takes place in the territory we call home.<\/p>\n

Territory Provides Security and a Defence Against Outsiders.<\/span><\/strong> It provides us with a social structure and it enables us to establish and maintain relative status i.e. standing, position and rights.<\/p>\n

If Possible, Separate your Business and Home Premises on your Property<\/span><\/strong>. The most satisfying arrangement for a home-based business is a complete separation of work premises from your home life \u2013<\/em> either using outbuildings for work or making use of adjoining rooms with a separate entrance. When this is not possible, we can set up physical boundaries or we can use procedures, which prevent invasion of privacy. The problem does not seem to be so much one of setting up the boundaries but in not realising that we need<\/em> to set up boundaries.<\/p>\n

Environments, Roles and Behaviour Expectations as Territorial Markers<\/span><\/strong>. We associate certain environments with specific roles and these include certain expectations of behaviour. In a home-based business, we take on multiple additional roles which can easily lead to confusion. For example, your husband becomes employer, supplier and client in addition to partner, husband and father. You, as wife, become employee, wife of boss and receptionist to clients in addition to partner, wife and mother (or vice versa if you are the business owner). If you have children, they are also affected. Children in a home-based situation will be written about in a separate article.<\/p>\n

When boundaries marking off the physical business premises have not been set up; when conditions and hours of business have not been laid down; these numerous roles might intrude inappropriately. For example, your husband might assume the role of \u201cboss\u201d with respect to you even when you go out together, \u201cDid so and so pay his account?\u201d he often asks in the middle of dinner at a restaurant. The warmth and intimacy of a personal relationship should not be disturbed during dinner by business conversations. Or, you might address your husband unthinkingly in front of your staff in the role of \u201cwife\u201d instead of receptionist, \u201cDon\u2019t be silly\u201d you say to him \u2013 and he loses face in front of the staff! Some people in home-based have said the following,<\/p>\n

I feel it is important to keep business and private life separate. There must be a degree of formality and respect in the workplace between you and your partner. I am essentially a private person and would dislike staff members to be aware of details of my private life.<\/em><\/p>\n

* * *<\/p>\n

We need a door to divide the business premises from our house where the family live. I\u2019m not involved in the business and people come into our house to ask me all sorts of questions when my husband is out<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/em><\/p>\n

* * *<\/p>\n

I do the accounts for my husband\u2019s home-based business. I used to work in one of the rooms in our house. One day I realised that if I did any personal work in this room I would immediately feel guilty and would look for something to do which related to his business! It seemed to have something to do with the room I was in. I just could not break through the barrier. The solution I eventually came up with was to take absolutely everything that was of a personal nature out of this room and I then called this room \u201cthe office.\u201d When I walked out of this room, I was \u201cat home\u201d and lived out my personal life. <\/em><\/p>\n

Markers Label and Define Territories<\/span><\/strong>. Markers protect us and our way of life. They tend to be recognised and honoured by others. We can use a variety of signs and procedures as markers. Asthana, 1989 wrote the following,<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2026roles are claimed labels, from behind which people present themselves to others and partially in terms of which they conceive, gauge and judge their past, current and projected action … studies suggest that markers are important factors in human territorial behaviour. They are employed to label and define a territory and tend to be recognised and honoured by others.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople can be controlled by means of territoriality. E.g. Women relegated to kitchens, \u2018deviants\u2019 to prisons, [marginalised people] to ghettos, etc. Territory is an instrument for achieving control over a subject people.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBy exerting control over a particular segment of space we experience a sense of freedom of choice within our environment. And we achieve a sense of identity a feeling of being separate and distinct from others.\u201d<\/p>\n

Besides labelling and defining a territory, markers,<\/p>\n