Parentification

Parentification essentially means the making of or into a parent to whatever extent; voluntarily, and/or involuntarily, either partially or fully, through a role assignment-adoption process; with or without reproduction (G. Eiríksson, 2021). Parentification, or at least parent-like behavior (authority assumption and caretaking) is an "ubiquitous and important" (Boszormenyi-Nagy & Spark, 1984b, p. 151) adaptation aspect in various kinds of human and non-human relationships. (G. Eiríksson, 2021).  Parentification, like other role assignment-adoption processes "comprises the parameters" of "internalized expectations and commitment characteristics" (Tam, 2009). Although generally adaptive and necessary for various life forms, when excessive, the weight of such roles, can be pathogenic. Jurkovic, Morrell, & Thirkield (1999) delineate four categories of roles on a continuum of responsibility according to duration and extensiveness of caretaking. On one end, e.g. a child who is over-functioning extremely in a parental role is identified as “destructive parentification”; whereas on the other end, the child who is under-functioning extremely in a parental role but is fulfilling the parent’s emotional needs of a dependent child is regarded as “infantilization”. In the middle range of this hypothetical continuum are “healthy non-parentification” and “adaptive parentification”.
===== Varieties of parentification =====
The parentification done to a child
"The term ‘parentified child’, which is very often used by mental health professionals to describe a pathogenic family dynamic, occurs when there is a boundary distortion in the family subsystems, which impel the child to take on a parental role or spouse role (Boszormenyi-Nagy & Spark, 1984b; Minuchin, 1977)." If "parents construct a guilt-laden atmosphere of obligation to bind the children in compliance with their demands there is a greater chance for the children to develop into parentified children (Chase, 1999)." Maladaptively "parentified children are those who attempt to fulfill the parental role at the expense of their own developmentally appropriate needs and pursuits." (Tam 2009)Oi Kuen Wong Tam, A dissertation submitted to Auckland University of Technology
The parentification done to an adult
== - ==
* Role reversal; Social learning; Excessive burden; Parent; Caretaker; Leader; Ruler; Master
* Unconscious parentification
-
Category:Family
Category:Mental health
Category:Harm