Drawing the Line: How Personal Boundaries Shape Peer Interactions in Islamic Higher Education Context of Indonesia

Abstract

In the increasingly complex social landscape of higher education, the ability to maintain individual autonomy while fostering group cohesion remains a critical psychological challenge. While proximity and shared tasks are often credited for student friendships, the underlying role of psychological demarcation, personal boundaries, is frequently overlooked. This study aims to empirically examine the influence of personal boundaries on the quality of friendship relations among university students, specifically focusing on the first-year cohort at STAIN Majene. Utilizing a quantitative approach with a simple linear regression design, data were collected from 80 respondents (Class of 2022) using validated psychometric scales measuring personal boundaries and relational quality. The statistical analysis reveals that personal boundaries exert a positive and significant influence on friendship relations, contributing 10.8% to the variance in relational quality. Notably, intellectual boundaries emerged as the most dominant dimension, characterized by high levels of mutual respect for divergent beliefs (mean score = 4.24). Despite the modest effect size, which is contextualized by the high levels of social conformity and cultural collectivism inherent in the Indonesian academic environment (accounting for the 89.2% residual variance), the findings identify personal boundaries as a vital "safety valve" against interpersonal intrusion and burnout. This research underscores that healthy boundaries are not barriers to intimacy but are foundational to sustainable and dignified social interactions. Practically, institutions should integrate assertiveness training into student development programs to bolster long-term relational resilience.