Vivian Marlowe
Addiction is a family disease. Family members often become codependent, neglecting their own needs and emotions to focus on the addict. Sharon Wegscheider-Cruse, an expert in addiction and codependency, identified six primary roles in an alcoholic family: the Enabler, Hero, Scapegoat, Lost Child, Mascot, and Dependent. These roles are a way to highlight the effects of alcoholism on the alcoholic's spouse and children. Wegscheider-Cruse's theory gained prominence in 1983 with the publication of Adult Children of Alcoholics, and despite criticism for its lack of scientific foundation, it remains influential in addiction treatment and certification for addiction counsellors.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of roles | 6 |
| Creator | Sharon Wegscheider-Cruse |
| Creator's credentials | Expert in the field of addictions and codependency |
| Creator's personal experience | Daughter of an alcoholic |
| Role 1 | Addict |
| Role 2 | Caretaker/Enabler |
| Role 3 | Hero |
| Role 4 | Scapegoat |
| Role 5 | Mascot |
| Role 6 | Lost Child |
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What You'll Learn
- The Enabler: protects the addict, makes excuses, and hides the addiction from others
- The Hero: overachieves and adopts perfectionist tendencies to avoid criticism
- The Scapegoat: draws attention away from the addict, often suffering misplaced blame
- The Lost Child: feels neglected, embarrassed, ashamed, lonely, confused, and/or angry
- The Mascot: uses humour and trouble-making as a coping mechanism
The Enabler: protects the addict, makes excuses, and hides the addiction from others
Sharon Wegscheider-Cruse, an expert in the field of addictions and codependency, identified six primary roles in an alcoholic family: the Enabler, Hero, Scapegoat, Lost Child, Mascot, and Dependent. The Enabler, often the spouse or parent of the addicted person, tries to help the addict but ends up making the problem worse. They may provide financial support, make excuses, or do things for the addict, enabling them to continue their addiction without facing the consequences of their actions.
Enablers often deny the severity of the addict's problem, believing that their actions are helping to protect their loved one and hold the family together. They may go to great lengths to keep the addiction a secret and present a positive image of the family to the outside world. However, this can lead to family dysfunction, maladaptive coping skills, and unhealthy family roles. Enablers may also blame others for the addict's behaviour or make excuses, such as attributing it to external factors like a difficult boss or pandemic-related stress.
The enabler's actions are often driven by fear—fear of losing their loved one to conflict or rehabilitation, or fear of the unknown. They may feel trapped and believe that by providing financial support or a place to live, they are keeping their loved one safe. However, this can prevent the addict from hitting "rock bottom" and seeking help. Enablers often do not realise that they are enabling, believing that they are helping their loved one meet basic needs.
To break the cycle of enabling, it is important for enablers to accept the negative consequences of not giving in to the addict's demands and set firm boundaries. Educating oneself about substance abuse and how it changes a person's behaviour can also help enablers recognise when they are enabling and make more informed decisions. Seeking family therapy or support groups can improve communication and help all family members, including the enabler, heal and work towards recovery together.
In summary, the Enabler in the Wegscheider-Cruse theory of alcoholic family roles tends to be a spouse or parent who tries to protect the addict and hold the family together. While their actions may be well-intentioned, they ultimately enable the addict to continue their harmful behaviour and delay their recovery. Recognising enabling behaviours and seeking appropriate support is crucial for both the enabler and the addict's well-being.
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The Hero: overachieves and adopts perfectionist tendencies to avoid criticism
The Wegscheider-Cruse Family Roles Theory identifies six primary roles in an alcoholic family: the Enabler, the Hero, the Scapegoat, the Mascot, the Lost Child, and the Addict. Sharon Wegscheider-Cruse, an expert in the field of addictions and codependency, developed this theory to highlight the effects of alcoholism on the alcoholic's spouse and children.
The Hero role is often played out in families with alcoholic parents, as these parents can become extremely critical, and children grow up with extremely high standards set by them. The child playing the hero role decides they must be perfect to survive in this environment. They adopt perfectionist tendencies to avoid criticism and become overachievers to compensate for their family situation.
Children with alcoholic parents often experience a chaotic and unpredictable home life, which may include physical and emotional abuse or neglect. They may feel embarrassed, ashamed, lonely, confused, and angry. The Hero child copes by striving for perfection and overachieving, perhaps to make up for the shortcomings of their family or to gain approval and acceptance.
The Hero role is a coping mechanism for dealing with the stress of living with an addict. However, these coping strategies can have lasting negative effects, even when the addict achieves sobriety, dies, or leaves the family. The Hero may carry these tendencies into adulthood, constantly seeking approval and never feeling good enough.
It is important to note that individuals and family systems are complex, and people may play multiple roles or exhibit a combination of traits and coping strategies. The Wegscheider-Cruse theory provides a general framework for understanding family dynamics in addiction, but each family's experience is unique.
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The Scapegoat: draws attention away from the addict, often suffering misplaced blame
Wegscheider-Cruse Family Roles Theory identifies six primary roles in an alcoholic family: the Enabler, Hero, Scapegoat, Lost Child, Mascot, and Dependent. The Scapegoat, in particular, draws attention away from the addict and often suffers misplaced blame for the behaviours of others in the family.
The Scapegoat is often defined in the same manner as the Problem Child, as someone who draws attention away from the addict's behaviour. However, some sources characterise the Scapegoat as a family member who does nothing to earn their role within the family's dysfunction. In this case, the Scapegoat is an individual who generally exhibits relative stability and emotional health compared to the rest of the household. They may even be blamed for events in which they had no involvement. As a result, the Scapegoat may internalise others' negative perceptions of them, leading to feelings of inferiority and self-loathing. Alternatively, they may develop trust issues if they recognise their unfair treatment.
The Scapegoat role is a coping strategy adopted by family members to deal with the stress of living with an addict. This dynamic can persist even when the addict gets sober, dies, or leaves the family, and it is passed down through generations. Family therapy can help families heal by improving communication and allowing family members to vent and air grievances.
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The Lost Child: feels neglected, embarrassed, ashamed, lonely, confused, and/or angry
The Wegscheider-Cruse Family Roles Theory was developed by Sharon Wegscheider-Cruse, a respected expert in the field of addictions and codependency. The theory identifies six primary roles in an alcoholic family: the Enabler, Hero, Scapegoat, Lost Child, Mascot, and Dependent. These roles highlight the effects of alcoholism on the alcoholic's spouse and children and provide a general picture of the common family dynamics in families dealing with addiction. It's important to note that individuals and families are complex, and people may play multiple roles or identify with a combination of traits and coping strategies.
The Lost Child, one of the six roles identified by Wegscheider-Cruse, is a child who feels neglected, embarrassed, ashamed, lonely, confused, and/or angry. They often daydream and fantasize, spending a lot of time reading, watching TV, or playing video games. They are typically known as "the quiet one" and considered a loner. Lost children feel invisible, isolated, and afraid. As adults, they may struggle with relationships and feel left out, sad, confused, and powerless. They may go from one relationship to another, searching for the family they never had, or they may form no relationships at all. These problems with relationships are a direct result of their childhood treatment.
The Lost Child often grows up in a chaotic and unpredictable home environment, where their emotional needs are neglected due to the focus on dealing with the alcoholic's problems. They may feel embarrassed and ashamed, believing that they are to blame for their parent's addiction and erratic behavior. The child may cope by trying to be perfect or by acting out and getting into trouble. As an adult, the Lost Child may struggle with self-defeating beliefs formed in childhood and have difficulty trusting others, feeling that they must remain self-reliant.
Recovery from childhood neglect and abuse is a challenging journey that requires time and dedication. Seeking help from a mental health professional or therapist is an important first step. Therapy can help the Lost Child process and understand the emotions they experienced as a child, such as rage and loneliness, in a safe and supportive environment. Through therapy, adults can learn to refuse to live as victims of other people's problems and regain control of their lives, setting boundaries and saying no without feeling extreme guilt or shame.
To break the cycle of addiction and its impact on families, it is crucial to involve all family members in the recovery process. Family therapy can improve communication and provide a space for family members to express their feelings and grievances. Additionally, mindfulness practices and support groups like Al-Anon for Adult Children of Alcoholics can help family members identify and overcome negative emotions and behaviors developed over time. By addressing the impact of addiction on the entire family system, positive changes can be achieved, and the cycle of addiction can be disrupted.
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The Mascot: uses humour and trouble-making as a coping mechanism
Sharon Wegscheider-Cruse, a respected expert in the field of addictions and codependency, identified six primary roles in an alcoholic family: the enabler, hero, scapegoat, lost child, mascot, and dependent. These roles are a way to highlight the effects of alcoholism on the alcoholic's spouse and children. It is important to note that individuals and family systems are complex, and people may play multiple roles or exhibit a combination of traits and coping strategies.
The mascot, one of the family roles in Wegscheider-Cruise's theory, uses humour and trouble-making as a coping mechanism in an addicted family. The mascot tries to reduce family stress and tension by bringing humour and playfulness into an otherwise uncomfortable and tense family environment. They may be seen as the "class clown" or the family entertainer, cracking jokes and distracting the family from their underlying issues. While their antics may provide temporary relief, they often serve as a defence mechanism to avoid dealing with their own emotions and the deeper emotional issues within the family.
The mascot is often very aware of the hostile atmosphere at home and tries to alleviate the discomfort of other family members. They may be viewed as naive or immature by other family members, but they are often one of the most sensitive. The mascot's humour becomes their shield against overwhelming sadness, anger, anxiety, or pain. It is a coping mechanism to deal with the stress of living with an addict.
The mascot's role can have lasting negative effects, as they may not be addressing their true feelings and may be masking the underlying issues in the family. The role of the mascot is a way to deflect attention from the addiction and the addict's behaviour, which can enable the addict to continue their cycle of addiction without facing the consequences of their actions. The mascot may also be using humour to distract from their own emotional neglect and unmet needs due to the chaos and focus on the addict and their problems.
Overall, the mascot in the Wegscheider-Cruise theory uses humour and trouble-making as a coping mechanism to deal with the stress and tension of living in an addicted family. While their humour may bring temporary relief, it is important to address the deeper emotional issues and unhealthy family dynamics to promote healing and positive change.
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Frequently asked questions
Sharon Wegscheider-Cruse, a respected expert in the field of addictions and codependency, identified six primary roles in an alcoholic family: the Enabler, Hero, Scapegoat, Lost Child, Mascot, and Dependent. These roles are a way to highlight the effects of alcoholism on the alcoholic’s spouse and children.
The Enabler tries to reduce harm and danger through enabling behaviours such as making excuses or doing things for the addict. They deny that alcohol/drugs are a problem and try to control things to hold the family together. They go to extremes to ensure that family secrets are kept and that the world views them as a happy, well-functioning family.
The Hero role is often played out in families with children of alcoholic parents because their parents can become extremely critical. To survive, the child decides they must be perfect. They tend to adopt perfectionist tendencies to avoid criticism and become overachievers to compensate for their family.
