A Dysfunctional Family's Cast of Characters: John Bradshaw and the Family Rules

Back when my wife was active in the recovery movement of the late 1980s, she learned a great deal about the roles played in dysfunctional families. Having a inquisitive mind, she did some research on her own and discovered some very interested things about the designations that psychologists put to even the normal family. She eventually had some issues with some of the teachings that many recovery groups use, which finally turned her off to their methods and lessons. Many of these were first put forth by pop psychologist John Bradshaw. Though his influence has faded somewhat over the last few years, and more than a few researchers have discreted his theories, they still are used in treating families and members - but not too succesfuly. The point of this article is to describe the roles as she learned them and then taught them to me, as well as some of her own critcsisms of Bradshaw and his rules. Now I pass them along to you.

First, there's the family clown. This family member has the job of keeping things light and upbeat, however unsuccessful his or her attempts might be. Other people might admire him for his sense of humor, but professionals feel his joking is a cry for help. They are always handy with a joke or comment to defuse a potential problem. They use humor to mask their true feelings and to deflect any of their own problems.