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

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