 Hey Psych2Goers, have you ever wondered if your family is toxic? In past videos, we've outlined a few traits of toxic parents, but toxicity can also describe family systems. A family is a group of parents and children living together as a unit. In this structure, the parents control the power dynamic and they're responsible for the safety and well-being of the children. But what if you have a dysfunctional and toxic family environment? In today's video, we'll talk about a couple of examples of toxic family dynamics. 1. The Picture Perfect Family This family dynamic is all about appearances and paints an unrealistic picture of perfection by sweeping arguments and resentments under the rug. While everyone appears to be doing well, everything is falling apart. There's no authenticity within this family dynamic and actions are performative. Many members are likely to curate their life to appear perfect or acceptable in other people's eyes. This dynamic is toxic, as it places undue emotional strain on those who are in it. Parents may even exercise a degree of psychological abuse towards their children, who can grow up believing that love is conditional. An example of toxicity in this family dynamic is when parents hide a serious issue, such as a divorce, affair, or financial struggle and pressure their children to maintain the lie, so they'll not look bad. 2. The Disconnected Family The disconnected family has no parent-child connection. Parents are either emotionally or physically absent from their children's lives. The parent behaves more like a roommate, providing the bare necessities for their child and feeling to provide emotional guidance and support. They do not nurture the child, so the child grows up nurturing themselves. As a result, the child grows up emotionally distant from others, and they have difficulty being vulnerable and struggle to show up emotionally for others. An example of a disconnected family dynamic is a parent who solely focuses on work and neglects to forge a relationship with their child. 3. The Chaotic Family This type of family system lacks stability, which may arise from sudden divorce or financial struggle, thus burdening the parent with responsibilities and distancing them from their child. Consequently, children who grew up with these dynamics are incredibly independent, yet feel unsettled. They are accustomed to always being ready to run, so settling down is difficult. As a result of living in a state of chaos, they tend to process their emotions differently or not at all, and can default to dissociation to cope. An example of a chaotic family dynamic is an abusive household where the parent is overwhelmed and unable to fulfill their role properly. 4. The Child-Parent Dynamic This dynamic is also a product of an unstable family where the child assumes the role of the parent. This act of parentification may arise naturally, where the child may notice the lack of stability from their parent and assume that role to protect a younger sibling or may be enforced. An example of this dynamic is if the parent struggles with addiction. The circumstances in that family force the child to assume the role of the parent, or the parent may not be emotionally mature enough to handle certain situations, so they leave it up to the child. A child growing up in this type of family becomes incredibly responsible, but also reluctant to lean on others and open up emotionally. In relationships, they often have a hard time expressing their emotional needs and usually assume blame for everything. Unfortunately, the media glorifies parentified children as mature, but this idea of parentified children is harmful because it undermines the reality. A child has been robbed of their innocence and childhood. 5. The Messy Split Family This type of family dynamic is an extension of the previous one and is common within divorced families. If the divorce is not amicable, it can quickly become messy. A messy divorce can create toxicity for the child, planting resentments or undermining the other parent, which creates strain for the child and deprives them of a sense of stability. Children who grew up in this way have difficulties creating lasting relationships, developing trust issues, and believe that happy and healthy relationships do not exist. 6. The Codependent This dynamic involves an aggressor or abusive parent and an enabling parent who stays in the relationship out of fear. The child witnesses the power struggles within the relationship and may assume that they are normal. They may also grow up presenting their parent for not protecting them. As a result, they may struggle with trust issues and fear being taken advantage of. Have any of these points helped you? Let us know in the comments below. As always, the references and studies used in this video are added in the description below. Remember to like and share this video with someone who might benefit. Until next time friends and thanks for watching. Take care.