S2.E13. Why Can’t You Get It Together? The Scapegoat Sibling in Dysfunctional Families

This week we discuss dysfunctional family roles and dynamics including scapegoat, hero, golden child, caretaker, identified patient, rebel, and more. Anne and Caroline share their stories of growing up Gen X with wild older brothers who grew up to have real mental health struggles. Our guest is Caroline Bell, Anne’s childhood friend.

Show Notes:

• Rejected, Shamed, and Blamed: Help and Hope for Adults in the Family Scapegoat Role by Rebecca C. Mandeville

• Healing the Shame That Binds You by John Bradshaw

• The Myth of Normal by Gabor Maté, MD

• The Deepest Well by Nadine Burke Harris

• An Adult Child’s Guide To What’s Normal by John Friel

• Book about categories: Black and White Thinking, The Burden of a Binary Brain in a Complex World by Kevin Dutton

• 5 Types of Dysfunctional Families (blog)

• 6 Dysfunctional Family Roles and Their Characteristics (blog)

• Mary’s episode - complex-PTSD

• Cracked Up (film) about Darrell Hammond

• Adrian and Juleus’ episode - moms who abuse their boy children

• Episode about the death of Kevin Elder

• Jon Claytor’s episode - Alison references his talking about owning a bar

• Living Resistance by Kaitlin B. Curtis