Slowed academic development is another common way that separation of the parents affects children. The emotional stress of a divorce alone can be enough to stunt your child’s academic progress, but the lifestyle changes and instability of a broken family can contribute to poor educational outcomes.

7 Types Of Family Structure

• 7 Nuclear Families.
• 6 Single Parent Families.
• 5 Extended Families.
• 4 Childless Families.
• 3 Step Families.
• 2 Grandparent Families.
• 1 Unconventional Families.

We have stepfamilies; single-parent families; families headed by two unmarried partners, either of the opposite sex or the same sex; households that include one or more family members from a generation; adoptive families; foster families; and families where children are raised by their grandparents or other relatives.

A dysfunctional family is a family in which conflict, misbehavior, and often child neglect or abuse on the part of individual parents occur continuously and regularly, leading other members to accommodate such actions. Children sometimes grow up in such families with the understanding that such a situation is normal.

While all families have disagreements and conflict, toxic family systems use extremely unhealthy ways of interacting with each other and resolving conflict.

Reasons For Dysfunctional Families

• Addiction:
• Violent behavior:
• Financial situation:
• Authority:
• Religious fundamentalism:
• Get help:
• Express yourself:
• Be responsible:

Signs of a Dysfunctional Family

• Addiction. Addiction can lead to so many different unhealthy relationships among family members.
• Perfectionism.
• Abuse or neglect.
• Unpredictability and fear.
• Conditional love.
• Lack of boundaries.
• Lack of intimacy.
• Poor communication.

Common Characteristics of Dysfunctional Families

• Lack of communication.
• Lacking Empathy.
• Prone to Addiction.
• Mental Issues.
• Controlling Behaviour.
• Perfectionism.
• Criticism.
• Lack of Independence and Privacy.

Here are five helpful strategies:

1. Give yourself time to mourn. We all want a family that’s supportive, loving and kind.
2. Set limits and boundaries. Make toxic family members aware in advance of what topics you will not discuss.
3. Work on your self-esteem.
4. Get what you need from others.
5. Separation and Individuation.

Ongoing Abuse Ongoing physical, emotional, financial, and sexual abuse can lead to deep feeling of hatred towards your family. You may hate the abusive individual, as well as the ones who watched or knew about it happening but didn’t do anything to stop it. This can create even more tension within a family.

Sometimes, a toxic sibling might not be fully aware that their actions are hurting you. Other times, they might be aware but they may actually be acting in these poor behaviors because it’s a cry for attention or help — they’ve been wanting you to point it out for a while and talk to them.

To cope, learn to set boundaries and avoid subjects that cause disagreement. Limit contact with family members that cause problems and learn to put yourself first. Remember, your emotional needs and well-being should be valued. When coping with a dysfunctional family, know and stand up for your own rights.

All families face stress including financial concerns, relationship issues, children’s behavior problems, lack of cooperation, lack of alone-time as a couple, lack of time for yourself, household chores, over-scheduled activities, lack of time for playing, work problems, and guilt for not being able to do it all.

Children from dysfunctional families are also more likely to become withdrawn and socially isolated. They often feel lonely and have difficulty expressing their feelings, and they are at risk of developing depression, low self-esteem, anxiety, and more. As children mature, these problems persist.

Address a family problem with a child.

1. Place the problem in front of the child. Explain the problem very clearly.
2. Don’t act angry. Instead, ask the child for help solving the problem.
3. Give the child positive reinforcement if the child makes progress toward solving the problem.
4. Don’t play favorites with children.

Some common challenges families face in addition to managing chronic pain include things like moving house, separation or divorce, parenting issues, pressure at work or school, unemployment and financial problems, illness or disability of a family member, death of a family member, drug, alcohol, gambling addiction, and …

Relationships: When Family (or Any Relationship) Hurts

1. Don’t let anyone else’s behaviour change who you are. Be dignified.
2. Make it clear this isn’t personal.
3. Now remind yourself not to take it personally.
4. Find compassion.
5. Hold the space.
6. Accept what is.
7. You don’t need to convince anyone.
8. It’s okay not to be with them.

Often, the most effective way to heal from a dysfunctional family is to seek therapy. Consult a healthcare professional if you think you need help. You’ll forever be connected to your childhood experiences, and that’s something you have to endure.

Types Of Dysfunctional Families

• One or both parents have addictions or compulsions (e.g., drugs, alcohol, promiscuity, gambling, overworking, and/or overeating) that have strong influences on family members.
• One or both parents use the threat or application of physical violence as the primary means of control.

A family is dysfunctional if they regularly experience conflict, misbehavior, or abuse in a way that causes some family members to accommodate such inappropriate actions. Are all families dysfunctional? It is estimated that approximately 70 to 80 percent come from dysfunctional families.”

Some examples:

1. Keep the family’s secrets a secret.
2. Don’t allow yourself to have any feelings.
3. Don’t show any vulnerability.
4. Don’t expect others to be reliable.
5. Don’t trust other people.
6. Placate people in power to get what you want.
7. Always suss out the other person’s feelings or manner before responding to them.

Growing up in a dysfunctional family can largely have negative effects on the children. Mistrust, anxiety, despise and other negative emotions lead to a very insecure adult. The child has a bad image of self and suffers from a lack of self-confidence and self-esteem.

For example, the oldest child may become “the lost child” or a loner role in a dysfunctional family who does not want to cause more trouble for the family and so therefore “escapes.” Escaping may mean getting lost in television shows or movies, reading, or engaging in any activity that allows them to be seen and not …

Scapegoating is blaming one person or group of people for a much biggest or more complex issue. This can happen on a small scale, for example, maybe one child in a family becomes the “Identified patient,” which means that that child receives the blame for the actions of the other children or everyone in the family.

Children who are born awhile after their siblings is often called a caboose baby. The last one, bringing up the rear, giving the illusion of straggling behind.

An alcoholic family creates roles that balance the addiction but create deep emotional pain for everyone. The role I’m describing today is the “hero child”. It is usually taken on by the oldest child in the family. The purpose of the hero child is to bring honor back to the family’s image and identity.

• The Substance Mis-user: We generally characterize the Dependent as the focal point within the greater spectrum of dysfunctional family roles.
• The Enabler:
• The Hero:
• The Scapegoat:
• The Mastermind:
• The Mascot:
• The Lost Child:

The role of the mascot is most commonly taken on by the youngest child in the family. This is the child who learns very early that laughter reduces tension and eases stress, and she or he responds to discord in the family by trying to lighten the mood through humor.

The Lost Child is the invisible child. They try to escape the family situation by making themselves very small and quiet. (S)He stays out of the way of problems and spends a lot of time alone. The purpose of having a lost child in the family is similar to that of The Hero.

The Hero may sometimes feel like a Lost Child, and the Mascot (also known as the Family Clown) sometimes becomes the Scapegoat. In many cases, the Dependent may fit into multiple roles as well—especially in families involving more than one substance user.