EVERY FAMILY GENERATES its own particular dysfunction. Many people believe that once they cross the threshold into adulthood, this legacy can be shed. But the maladjusted dynamics that have been imprinted upon us, often since childhood, are tenacious.
Families are certainly complicated. We are shaped by so many things beyond our control - from birth order to a parent’s style of discipline - and although many people believe they can outgrow, outrun, or outthink the way these deeply ingrained experiences have affected them, doing so can prove difficult. As a psychiatrist, Dr. Shields sees clients every day that carry invisible legacies created by their families. And Dr. Shields also carries some complicated emotional inheritances.
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