Growing up in a dysfunctional family is not always obvious.
Similar to symptoms of anxiety and depression,
the signs may range from mild to severe, which can go unnoticed in everyday lives of toxic families.
Here are five types of dysfunctional family dynamics.
One: the chronic conflict family. In this type of dysfunctional family members fight with each other in harmful ways.
They'll leave one another physically and emotionally wounded.
The tension is breeded from toxic parental styles, such as abusive and authoritarian.
The parents will usually be strict, rigid and unreasonably harsh with their kids.
Fear is a tool commonly used by them to maintain control and
punishment methods are often abusive illness treatments that can be traumatizing for the individual.
Prolonged conflict within the family can damage a child's neural chemistry,
which can create chronic stress, anxiety,
depression and an insecure attachment style as they cultivate relationships with others outside of the household.
Two: the pathological household. In this type of family, severe psychological,
mental health disorders, terminal illnesses and substance abuse or drug addiction affect the members' everyday lives.
One or both parents may suffer from terminal illnesses such as cancer,
mental disorders like schizophrenia,
personality disorders such as borderline personality disorder or mood disorders like bipolar disorder.
Along with drug addiction problems, one or both parents may also have addictions associated with alcoholism or gambling.
In the pathological household the family roles are reversed, in which the children are more responsible and take care of everyday functions,
whereas the parents are the ones being looked after. The parents' disorders or illness can cause children to become preoccupied with tasks
they aren't meant to handle until they are more mature. This can cause them to develop social deficiencies, anxiety and depression over time.
Three: the chaotic household. In this type of family, the children are often poorly looked after
when the parents are too busy, not present or do not set clear and consistent regulations. The parents do not establish any
organization, system or routine that the whole family can follow, which makes it hard for the children to find any grounding or assurance.
Often, the older siblings take on the responsibilities the parents have failed to fulfill, and they learn to play the role of the caretakers.
Meanwhile,
the younger siblings or school-aged children in the chaotic household usually have trouble with discipline, concentrating in school and listening to authority figures.
Four: the dominant-submissive household. In this type of family one parent is a dictator while the other one is passively
obedient. The Dictator parent has no considerations for the wishes or feelings of the other family members.
This often causes the other parent to feel depressed and they usually have a lot of repressed negative and angry emotions.
Consequently, the whole family faces tension and all the members are extremely unhappy and dissatisfied with their home life. While one parent is
controlling and pays little attention to the way their actions affect the whole family, the rest of the members suffer silently from their poor choices,
showing little open revolt.
Five: the emotionally distant family. This may be one of the least obvious dysfunctional family types. On the outside,
nothing is loudly or noticeably chaotic but behind closed doors
there's very little affection shown between the family members. The parents rarely show warmth towards their children,
which teaches them to repress their feelings as they grow older.
This brings about an insecure or non-existent attachment which can negatively affect the child's identity,
self-esteem and their ability to form relationships with others. In this household
communication is rarely open and the members often choose to deal with their problems alone instead of seeking help.
What type of dysfunctional family dynamic do you resonate with most?
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