Family Disorganisation

Study Unit 12.1

By C Settley

Learning Outcomes

• Examine the nature of family disorganisation

• Discuss the causes of family disorganisation

• Discuss the consequences of family disorganisation

The Nature of family Disorganization

- A breakdown of a family system

-It may be associated with parental over burning or loss of significant others who served as role models for children or as support systems for family members-Family disorganization can contribute to the loss of social controls that families usually impose on their members-When misunderstandings and incompatibilities exist among family members, disruption, disturbance and anxiety takes place

Causes of Family Disorganization

• Research indicates that the following aspects contribute to family disorganization.

• Lack of privacy.

• Incompatibility like age, mentality, personality and culture.

• Interference of in-laws and other persons.

• Unemployment.

• Conflict.

Causes of Family Disorganization

• Lack or poor resources and low income.• Poor discipline.• Lack of social control.• Societal variations.• Strength of communication• Lack of mutual understanding.• Misunderstanding.• Psychological factors.• Abuse• Neglect

The Six basic Roles

• Children growing up in dysfunctional families are known to adopt one or more of these roles:

• The good child (also known as the hero): a child who assumes the parental role

• The problem child or rebel (also known as the scapegoat): the child who is blamed for most problems related to the family’s

dysfunction, despite often being the only emotionally stable one in the family

The Six basic Roles

• The care taker: the one who takes responsibility for the emotional well being of the family

• The lost child: the inspicious, quiet one, whose needs are usually ignored or hidden

• The mascot: uses comedy to divert attention away from the increasingly dysfunctional family system

• The mastermind: the opportunist who capitalizes on the other family members’ faults to get whatever she/he wants.

Consequences/effects of Family Disorganisation on children

• Lack the ability to be playful, or childlike, and may "grow up too fast"; conversely they may grow up too slowly, or be in a mixed mode (e.g. well-behaved, but unable to care for themselves)

• Have moderate to severe mental health issues, including possible depression, anxiety and suicidal thoughts.

• Become addicted to smoking, alcohol and/or drugs, especially if parents or friends have done the same

Consequences/effects of Family Disorganisation on children

• Bully or harass others, or be an easy victim thereof (possibly taking a dual role in different settings)

• Be in denial regarding the severity of the family's situation

• Have mixed feelings of love–hate towards certain family members

• Become a sex offender, possibly including pedophilia• Have difficulty forming healthy relationships within

their peer group (usually due to shyness or a personality disorder

Consequences/effects of Family Disorganisation on children

• Spend an inordinate amount of time alone watching television, playing video games, surfing the Internet, listening to music, and other activities which lack in-person social interaction

• Feel angry, anxious, depressed, isolated from others, or unlovable

• Have a speech disorder (related to emotional abuse)• Distrust others or even have paranoia

•  

Consequences/effects of Family Disorganisation on children

• Become a juvenile delinquent and turn to a life of crime (with or without dropping out of school), and possibly become a gang member as well

• Struggle academically at school or academic performance declines unexpectedly

• Have low self-esteem or a poor self image with difficulty expressing emotions

• Rebel against parental authority, or conversely, uphold their family's values in the face of peer

pressure,

Consequences/effects of Family Disorganisation on children

• Think only of themselves to make up the difference of their childhoods (as they are still learning the balance of self-love)

• Have little self-discipline when parents are not around, such as compulsive spending, procrastinating too close to deadlines, etc.

• Find an (often abusive) spouse or partner at a young age and/or run away from home

Consequences/effects of Family Disorganisation on children

• Become pregnant and/or a parent of illegitimate children

• Be at risk of becoming poor or homeless, even if the family is already wealthy or middle-class

• Have auto-destructive or potentially self-damaging behaviors

• Join a cult to find the acceptance they never had at home

• Strive (as young adults) to live far away from particular family members or the family as a whole

• Perpetuate dysfunctional behaviors in other relationships (especially their own children)

The Effects on Adults

• See Handouts