Familiarity
Role reversal (parentification), scapegoating, abuse — physical, emotional, spiritual, and sexual — or unresolved addiction and other mental health issues; these are some of the attributes of such families. The generational aspect is easily explained. If the parents of today’s family themselves grew up in such circumstances, they are highly unlikely to be able to teach their children — by example —the basic elements of healthy family living. They are incapable of serving as role models. We cannot pass on what we haven’t got. For the children of such dysfunctional families, our only chance is to learn these emotionally mature behaviors after we leave the nest, usually on the back of experiencing some form of existential crisis…
