The Wegscheider Model Of A Dysfunctional Family

For the purposes of family counseling, the family is best viewed as a complex organism that operates within certain boundaries and consists of two identities: that which it presents to the rest of the world and that which is kept hidden. Every family has a system of internal regulation that serves to achieve a state of homeostasis, a balance and normalcy from which a sense of security is derived by all members (Curtis, 1999). Once it is understood how addiction affects a family system it becomes clear why individual roles develop around the behavior of the addict, and why addiction increases the likelihood of domestic violence and child abuse occurring within the family.
When a family member develops a substance use disorder and begins exhibiting

dysfunctional behavior, homeostasis becomes threatened or disrupted. A shift in the family dynamic occurs as family affairs are directly or indirectly conducted in relation to the addict.. The distinction between normal and abnormal becomes vague. As Dayton explains it, “the drug user as well as family members may bend, manipulate and deny reality in their attempt to maintain a family order that they experience as gradually slipping away” (n.d.). In an effort to maintain homeostasis, boundaries will become rigid and unspoken rules will forbid the acknowledgement of toxic subjects in an attempt to hide “the truth from themselves, their children and their relational world” (Dayton, n.d.). Family members will adopt various roles to either support or deny the behavior of the addict. Unfortunately, the type of homeostasis achieved by these methods is distorted, often tentative, and always unhealthy. This is why redefining the roles of family members and establishing healthy bonds and patterns of communication is such an essential of part of family counseling (Curtis, 1999). In order to do this, it must be understood why unhealthy roles are adopted in the first place.
Around the chemically dependent member, the rest of the family is cast into an array of roles as they attempt to “manage the unmanageable disease of addiction” (Dayton, n.d.).

The Wegscheider model of 1981 identifies five roles (apart from the dependent) within a dysfunctional family. Often, first person to react to the addict’s behavior in a dysfunctional way is often an enabler, anyone who seeks to insulate the addict from pain and negative consequences (Juhnke & Hagedorn, 2006). Motivated by fear of confrontation, denial, or shame, the enabler covers for the addict, cleans up messes, and is quick to “forgive and forget”. Despite good intentions and a sincere belief that these actions are benevolent, the reality is that enabling only prolongs the misery, allows the disease to progress, and undermines any reasons for the addict to desire recovery. If the enabler is in a close, ongoing relationship with the addict they often become enmeshed in a debilitated symbiotic condition known as codependency. The family hero seeks to compensate for, or perhaps obscure, the dysfunctional behavior in the family through his or her own personal successes (Juhnke et al., 2006). This is most often the oldest or most mature child in the household. He or she is good at anticipating and fulfilling the needs of both the dependent and the enabler, sometimes out of a desire to assuage false guilt for feeling somehow responsible for the family’s problems (Curtis, 1999). The hero usually enjoys the

reputation of being the redeeming member of the household, the one who brings public validation to a privately insecure household. Perhaps the most misunderstood figure is the scapegoat. Believing that it is only possible to receive recognition from negative behavior, the scapegoat can be counted on to act out when conditions become tense and thereby present a convenient target of blame for the rest of the family (Juhnke et al., 2006). This provides a way for everyone to relieve themselves of any blame and minimize their own faults, which brings the family together in a perverted alliance. Oddly enough, the scapegoat is arguably the most pivotal role in maintaining homeostasis; without a scapegoat, a dysfunctional family could not likely remain intact. Supporting characters include the family mascot and the lost child. The mascot serves as the comic relief, a fun and welcome distraction from problems and tension in the family. Meanwhile, rarely making an appearance is the marginalized lost child who strives to remain distant from the rest of the family, avoiding problems (and perhaps any associated blame) by simply staying “out of sight, out of mind”. It might seem that the roles of mascot and lost child might endure the dysfunctional family with the least amount of trauma, but there is a sad likelihood that they will develop self-esteem and social anxiety issues in later life (Curtis, 1999). In fact, all of these roles carry with them a high probability that family problems will be passed on through multigenerational transmission. This includes problems of child abuse and domestic violence.
Studies have suggested correlations between the presence of substance use disorders in families and reported cases of domestic violence and child abuse. In fact, alcohol use is a factor in nearly forty percent of child abuse cases (Beasley, 1987, as cited by Curtis, 1999) and 60-70% of reported domestic violence (Collins and Messerschmidt, 1993, as cited by Curtis, 1999). Nixon et al. reported that children of alcoholics incur 1.5% more injuries and accumulate thirty percent more health care costs than children of non-alcoholics (1997), statistics that can undoubtedly be attributed to child abuse within the home. This provides a compelling case for the need for effective family counselors and the role they play in the advocacy of families afflicted with this disease. By being better educated about the dynamics of families and how the presence of addiction can negatively impact them, family counselors can place themselves in a powerful position to help break the cycle of abuse, violence, and emotional trauma that are the legacy of afflicted families to later generations.