A HEALTHY FAMILY
David Stoop identifies the characteristics of a healthy family as: 1)It is balanced; it can adapt to change. 2)Problems are handled on a family basis, not just an individual basis. 3)There are solid cross-generational connections. 4)Clear boundaries are maintained between individuals. 5)People deal with each other directly. 6) Differences are accepted and encouraged. 7) The thoughts and feelings of others are accepted. 8)Individuals know what they can give to, and receive from, others. 9)Maintaining a positive emotional climate is a high priority. 10)Each family member values the family as a “good place to live.” 11)Each learns from the others and encourages feedback. 12)Individuals are allowed to experience their own emptiness. Stoop continues by suggesting that “The well-adjusted family has found a balance between two seemingly contradictory dynamics: being close and being separate.” From Forgiving Our Parents, Forgiving Ourselves, Healing Adult Children of Dysfunctional Families, by Dr. David Stoop & Dr. James Masteller, published by Servant Publications, Ann Arbor, MI, pp. 74…
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