Enmeshed Family System Essay

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An enmeshed family system, as written in the article, “The Enmeshed Family System: What It Is and How to Break Free,” by Janet Brito and Sharon Martin, “describes family relationships that lack boundaries such that roles and expectations are confused” (Brito and Martin). Parent-child relationships help develop the child’s behavioral traits and personality traits from adolescence. When the relationships between adults and their adolescents begin to lack boundaries, it can cause them lifelong mental traumas, such as unhealthy relationships and coping mechanisms, that are present in their everyday interactions. Subsequently, the article, “What Is Enmeshed Trauma,” by Theodora Blanchfield explains that “Parents being ‘helicopter parents’ [are] …show more content…

Specifically, in both the play, The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, written by William Shakespeare, and the novel, Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson, the main characters experience distorted family situations that end up impacting their decisions and behaviors during the course of the text. Furthermore, both the play and the novel include extensive characterization of the main characters, Juliet and Melinda, which allows for similarities and differences that the audience sees through the concept of the enmeshed family system and it’s traumatic effects on the way the characters struggle with healthy relationships, and in the way they handle conflicts. Juliet and Melinda both have different experiences with relationships, but they have the similarity of the fact that they have issues in these relationships, which is a long term effect of enmeshed family trauma. In the play, Juliet finds trouble in creating, and maintaining, healthy relationships; she struggles with this romantically, as a result of this same struggle that she has with her …show more content…

Moreover, throughout Melinda and Heather’s friendship, Heather took interest in many hobbies and activities, whereas Melinda took interest in little to nothing; this caused a barrier between them which led to Heather expressing to Melinda that “[she doesn't] like anything. [Melinda is] the most depressed person [she's] ever met, and [to] excuse [her] for saying this, but [she is] no fun to be around.” (Anderson 105). Heather was Melinda’s only real friend this entire school year, and due to Melinda’s lack of interest in social activities, Heather could no longer be friends with her; she uses harsh language to get the point across to Melinda that she can no longer associate herself with her. Melinda would not do the activities that Heather wanted to do or talk about anything that they either had in common or thought was interesting, this ultimately led to Melinda losing her only friend. Similarly, her parents never communicate well and she does not communicate well with them, which leads to miscommunication and personability when it comes to Melinda’s ability to make and maintain

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