A critical analysis of the concept of codependency.
Social Work › Vol. 39 Nbr. 6, November 1994
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A critical analysis of the concept of codependency.
Until relatively recently, "codependency" was a term used in the chemical dependency field to describe the "enabling" behavior of the partner of an alcoholic. The concept has now been extended to all kinds of families, and the term "addiction" is applied to everything from relationships to overspending. As noted by Wetzel (1991), "The phenomenon has swept the country in cultlike fashion.... It seems that the addiction industry is an addiction itself, one to which even feminists have not been immune". Although it is clear that many people have been helped by their involvement in the codependency movement, the concept itself raises broader social questions and needs to be critically evaluated. According to some, the concept of codependence, although seductive, may he dangerous (Brown, 1990).
This article critiques the concept of codependency by addressing the problems associated with conceptualizing interpersonal behaviors as addictions. It discusses the validity of the diagnosis of codependency, the pathologizing of characteristics associated with women, generalizations about alcoholic families that focus on pathology, and the tendency of the codependency movement to encourage separation from rather than connection with the family of origin. Definition of Codependency Codependency is described by enthusiastic adherents as a primary disease present in every member of an addictive family, often worse than the disease itself, with its own physical manifestations. It is viewed as a treatable diagnostic entity (Gierymski & Williams, 1986). Although men can theoretically be codependent, the literature refers almost exclusively to women...See the full content of this document
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