The scapegoat role is not assigned by accident. It is often imposed on the innately sensitive and hyper-empathic child because they often are the ‘whistleblower’ who sees through and points out the facade. As the family members ‘discharge’ their resentment, the child becomes the carrier of all the angst and suppressed negativity in the family.

In my work with people in the helping professions, I have often been confronted with a childhood history that seems significant to me. • There was a mother* who at the core was emotionally insecure and who depended for her equilibrium on her child’s behaving in a particular way. This mother was able to hide her insecurity from her child and from

When a child feels survivor guilt because of the unconscious belief that he or she will hurt a loved one by having greater satisfaction in life, is this inference always accurate? Frequently, the child is completely correct. Spurred by feelings of envy, competition, or fears of abandonment, parents often do begrudge their children’s success and