This is also when codependency can take root: patterns laid down now can entrench over the years, our personalities can polarize in overfunctioning/underfunctioning dynamics (where one partner “takes care” of the other, removing their agency) or other unhealthy patterns, and the boundaries around our sense of self can blur. If we get stuck in a dysfunctional dynamic and want to reclaim our selves and re-establish a healthy relationship balance, we need to learn how to set new boundaries in old relationships.
