Effects of Growing Up in a Dysfunctional Family
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Growing Up In A Dysfunctional Family|
Developmental Psychology|
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Denise King|
4/18/2011|
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Growing Up In a Dysfunctional Family
When some people look back on their childhood they see happy times full of family memories, traditions, love, and encouragement. When I look back on my childhood I remember drug abuse, visiting my step father in jail, going without utilities, and playing the role of a mother at the age of eight. I knew I was different from other children. I knew that my parents depended on me to play the role of an adult. They depended on me to get up every morning and get my brother and sister on the school bus. I knew they depended on me to go straight home from school every day so I could babysit. I would wake my mom up for work so she could work two jobs to support us and then I would cook dinner. Homework, friends, and things I wanted came last and I knew I didn’t have a choice. Indeed, my family was, and is, dysfunctional. What is dysfunction? Dictionary.com defines dysfunctional as any malfunctioning part or element. Dysfunction contains many aspects of unhealthy relating. Unhealthy relating can include such things as manipulation, using guilt or anger as motivation and at its most severe, abuse, including verbal, physical, and sexual abuse. Dysfunction is something that is passed down from generation to generation until it is implemented into the family. From family to family there are different levels of dysfunction which span from mild dysfunction, to moderate dysfunction, and even severe dysfunction. A child growing up in a mildly dysfunctional environment tends to have an easier time fitting into society and functioning normally in life and their life may not be effected at all. One example of a mild dysfunction is a parent treating a child like an adult or making the child take care of the adult either emotionally or physically. The adult treats the child as if they were an equal rather than a child. This results in the child
Growing Up In A Dysfunctional Family|
Developmental Psychology|
|
Denise King|
4/18/2011|
|
Growing Up In a Dysfunctional Family
When some people look back on their childhood they see happy times full of family memories, traditions, love, and encouragement. When I look back on my childhood I remember drug abuse, visiting my step father in jail, going without utilities, and playing the role of a mother at the age of eight. I knew I was different from other children. I knew that my parents depended on me to play the role of an adult. They depended on me to get up every morning and get my brother and sister on the school bus. I knew they depended on me to go straight home from school every day so I could babysit. I would wake my mom up for work so she could work two jobs to support us and then I would cook dinner. Homework, friends, and things I wanted came last and I knew I didn’t have a choice. Indeed, my family was, and is, dysfunctional. What is dysfunction? Dictionary.com defines dysfunctional as any malfunctioning part or element. Dysfunction contains many aspects of unhealthy relating. Unhealthy relating can include such things as manipulation, using guilt or anger as motivation and at its most severe, abuse, including verbal, physical, and sexual abuse. Dysfunction is something that is passed down from generation to generation until it is implemented into the family. From family to family there are different levels of dysfunction which span from mild dysfunction, to moderate dysfunction, and even severe dysfunction. A child growing up in a mildly dysfunctional environment tends to have an easier time fitting into society and functioning normally in life and their life may not be effected at all. One example of a mild dysfunction is a parent treating a child like an adult or making the child take care of the adult either emotionally or physically. The adult treats the child as if they were an equal rather than a child. This results in the child
References: Boyd, G. A. (n.d.). When You Grow Up In A Dysfunctional Family. www.mudrasham.com[->0]. Retrieved April 1, 2011, form www.mudrasham.com/dysfunctionalfamily2.html[->1] Dysfunctional Family- Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia. (n.d.). Wikipedia, The free Encyclopedia. Retrieved April 1, 2011, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dysfunctional_family J., I. (n.d.). The Causes And Effects Of The Dysfunctional Family. www.helium.com[->2], Retrieved April 1, 2011, from www.helium.com/items/697925-causes-and-effects-of-the-dyfunctional-family[->3] Dictionary. (n.d.). Dictionary. Retrieved April 1, 2011, from http://m.dictionary.com/d/?q=dysfunctional&submit-result-SEARCHD=search [->0] - http://www.mudrasham.com [->1] - http://www.mudrasham.com/dysfunctionalfamily2.html [->2] - http://www.helium.com [->3] - http://www.helium.com/items/697925-causes-and-effects-of-the-dyfunctional-family