A dysfunctional family is defined as “a family with multiple ‘internal’ conflicts, such as sibling rivalries, parent-child conflicts, domestic violence, mental illness, single parenthood, or ‘external’ conflicts, such as alcohol or drug abuse, extramarital affairs, gambling, unemployment-influences that affect the basic needs of the family unit,” by the McGraw-Hill Concise Dictionary of Modern Medicine.
There is perpetual conflict and upheaval in a dysfunctional household. Parents frequently expect other family members to put up with and sanction detrimental behavior while neglecting or abusing their children. Families that are dysfunctional can occasionally result from addiction, codependence, or an untreated mental illness.
Family dysfunction does not include disagreements or unintentional provocations. Only when detrimental behaviors render it hard for specific family members to operate, survive, and develop will dysfunction become visible.
Even though the term “dysfunctional family” may be casually used in popular culture, growing up in one has a significant impact on how children develop into adults. Family therapists and counselors can assist their clients get through any issues and trauma by addressing some prevalent issues with dysfunctional families.
Your experience of growing up in a dysfunctional household may still be crippling you today. Understand how to recover. Here are some tips to help you break the cycle of dysfunction in your family. You may overcome the feelings that still haunt you from growing up in a dysfunctional home. You are not a helpless infant who is incapable of understanding dysfunction for what it is.
