Merger and fusion in lesbian relationships: A problem of diagnosing what's wrong in terms of what's right

Discussion of the merger and fusion concepts, as applied to lesbian relationships, has primarily been in the spirit of enhancing therapists' awareness of the phenomenon, first, as a treatment focus in couples therapy and, second, as a predictable result of gender-role socialization issues and external prejudice against same-sex relationships. Nevertheless, the terms merger and fusion lack definitional specificity, and their continuing use runs the risk of confounding relational strength with dysfunction. An alternative framework is offered for conceptualizing boundary problems in lesbian couples.