Abstract This paper presents an in-depth examination of an individual case concerning being an Adult Child of an Alcoholic (ACOA). The writer of this paper details the history and the family life of the case study as well as the ways the condition of being an ACOA manifests itself for the individual. The writer also examines several source documents of studies and research that has been conducted regarding this situation.
From the Paper ?The client is a 44-year-old female who is the single parent of a teenage son. She and her son live alone in a duplex in a suburb of a large city. She works a full time job and her son attends the local high school. The client is in the seventh stage of the life cycle. This stage is the stage in which the healthy adult can look outside oneself and care for others. It is also the stage that lasts from the ages of 40-65 according to Erik Erikson. Erikson suggested that at this stage in the life cycle the parents might need their children as much as their children need them. In the case of an ACOA this seems to become particularity true for some.?
Abstract This paper looks at the adult child of an alcoholic. It includes the family dynamics and roles each member plays in the family of the alcoholic. The paper also includes definitive personality traits which extensive research has found in most adults who grew up on homes with alcoholic parents. The paper includes a personal perspective.
Paper Outline:
Family Rules
Rigidity
Silence
Denial
Isolation
Family Roles
The Family Hero
The Scapegoat
The Lost Child
The Mascot
Characteristics of the AcoA References
From the Paper "Denial is an unconscious rejection of an unacceptable reality. Denial plays a central role in the life of every alcoholic family. The first and most basic lie is the family's denial of the problem. For CoAs, accepting their parents' denial is the path to peace and openly rejecting it is the gravest of offenses (Deutsch, 1982). Children are taught to ignore the behavior of the alcoholic and pretend that nothing is wrong; they are taught to pretend they are 'normal'. Inside feelings rarely match what family members are feeling on the inside. Denial becomes embedded in the CoA. Denial continues on into adulthood. AcoAs denial stems from an internal preoccupation with avoiding pain. Once the real source of feelings is denied, pain becomes source less, and therefore all the more difficult to acknowledge (Cermak, 1988). For children, denial becomes extremely important."
Abstract This study focuses on the effects and consequences alcoholic parents have on adult children. A major part of this study is a comparison and analysis made on adult children with alcoholic parents and adult children with non-alcoholic parents. The paper also includes the result of a survey conducted on college students, which provides the data used for analysis. Furthermore, to demonstrate that parental alcoholism is a problem not specific to a particular society, and that it is a problem being faced by many families worldwide, multicultural aspects of the subject are included.
From the Paper "The effect of alcoholism is most visible in the adolescence period of a child with alcoholic parents. This is due to the fact that the period of adolescence is where the social ability of a child to interact and relate with others in a mature manner starts to develop. Also, it is the period where the viewpoint and attitude of a child towards the nature of other people and his environment starts to establish."
