Article: Codependent behaviors are often passed down through families. This means that somewhere in your past, you were either witness to or part of a codependent relationship. Through these situations, you were taught that it was wrong to express any needs, wants, or emotions. You may have spent portions of your childhood being called upon to meet the needs of others, which taught you as a child to suppress personal emotional and physical needs as you developed in favor of taking care of a family member. When you left this family environment, you may have continued this pattern within your own romantic and other relationships, which may then get passed on to your children. Another common situation that leads to codependency is a history of abuse. In these situations, if you have been abused, you may become codependent as a way to deal with the trauma of the situation. You may suppress emotions and needs in these abusive situations in favor of focusing on other's needs. This abuse may have happened during your childhood and continued without intervention from your family. This can also happen in codependent familial relationships. This can be emotional, physical, or sexual abuse. Although codependency issues can occur in any type of relationship or with any person, there are certain types of people that encourage codependent relationships. Codependent relationships often develop between you and a person who needs looking after or taken care of. These types of people include: Those suffering from addiction Individuals with mental health disorders People with chronic illness Another past experience that may lead to codependency is divorce. In situations with divorce, an opportunity may arise when an eldest child has to step into a parental role to pick up the slack for the absentee parent. In these cases, the parenting of the child may produce behaviors of codependency. You may also not want to discuss these difficulties with the remaining parent so as to not upset them. This leads to the repression of emotions and can lead to codependency.

What is a summary?
Determine if your family has a history of codependency. Consider if you have a history of abuse. Recognize common situations that cause codependent relationships. Look for divorce in your past.