Even the healthiest, most regulated adults have moments of dysfunction when navigating highly stressful conflict.
Here’s a guide on building a family that feels like a haven rather than a repeat of what you hope to leave behind.
Once you become aware of your role, why you play it, and who tends to trigger it, you can start adjusting your behavior around your family members.
By focusing on one individual (the scapegoat), the rest of the family can avoid dealing with underlying issues.
Breaking out of this role is essential for your well-being and the well-being of the person you’ve been enabling.
Truly healing from family dysfunction requires learning to set boundaries.
Family dysfunction is exhausting, and it becomes even more debilitating when you’re the only one who seems to recognize it.
Use this checklist to help you understand your family’s unique areas of dysfunction and identify what you might need to work on.
Often seen as giving, protective, and kind, this role inadvertently maintains dysfunction and can be debilitating.
This worksheet will help you identify what dysfunctional roles are playing out in your family, and who belongs in which role.
In a dysfunctional family, the Hero is driven by the need to make up for the family’s issues.
Are you causing drama in your relationships?
Dysfunctional roles in a family often arise as coping mechanisms in response to unhealthy family dynamics.