There is a dark side to family traditions, however, and estrangement is one of them. As my interviews progressed, I became aware of an insidious pattern: A surprising number of people in a family rift pointed to a history of estrangement, sometimes stretching back generations. They were aware that cutting off relatives was a family theme that had been passed down. Some described it as a learned behavior, in which cutoff was seen as a viable option when conflict becomes too intense.
