Case Study: Deborah's Behavior

During this period, Deborah started to detach from the role of advisor to become less involved with the chaos of the family. Much like the hero child, Deborah fell into the role of being the good child, the one with the good grades, the ability to play music, and be responsible (Perez, 2015). She had also started a severe regime to lose weight, dropping from near 200lbs to 130lbs over 10 months. Losing excess weight was viewed a positive step, and the family overlooked the negative impacts of the rapid loss and strict exercise plan (like Deborah’s hair loss, her fasting, her mood swings, and so on). Upon reflection, it is possible that this role was taken not only because Deborah was the oldest, but also because being in the role caused her parents the least amount of anxiety and stress. They did not have to worry about her because she was fine on her own. It was important to …show more content…
Despite the positive outlook that this phrase might convey, its overuse as a rule has turned the meaning into an excuse not to even try to change things. During the period in question, a lot was happening in the family needed help and intervention (that is, Phil’s alcoholism, Peter’s deteriorating mental state, Tom’s work stress, etc.). Rather than foster change, this family rule promoted acceptance of the way things were even if they were bad. Hearing this phrase agitates Deborah because it seems that members of her family, like her mother, do not care enough to take positive steps toward change. Deborah feels that are few things in hers and other’s behaviours that truly cannot change given time and effort. The implicit meaning of family rule provides another example of how Deborah’s behaviours have been shaped through the family