Post by troyhather on Apr 19, 2018 15:58:15 GMT -6
Relationship Dynamics Play a Key Role
Sometimes the dynamics between caregiver and care recipient have been deeply ingrained for many years. If your parent or spouse has always been the dominating personality in your relationship, it is likely that their behavior will only worsen as they get older and their health declines.
With some parents, an overly critical, authoritarian parenting style is handed down from generation to generation. The dynamic of a child trying to please a parent who can never be satisfied is so entrenched in the relationship that family therapy could be the only option for improvement. However, it is unlikely that family members would agree to come together for counseling this late in the game. With spouses, the dynamic may have developed over a shorter period of time, but it may still be difficult to set new boundaries and achieve a more balanced power structure. Couples counseling is an option that may yield results, but only if both parties are able and willing to participate.
Although it is not an excuse, analyzing your elder’s behavior in the context of family dynamics may provide some clues to the origins of their need for control. If this behavior is relatively new and has not been a pattern in your relationship, then it may be a fear-driven response.
Sometimes the dynamics between caregiver and care recipient have been deeply ingrained for many years. If your parent or spouse has always been the dominating personality in your relationship, it is likely that their behavior will only worsen as they get older and their health declines.
With some parents, an overly critical, authoritarian parenting style is handed down from generation to generation. The dynamic of a child trying to please a parent who can never be satisfied is so entrenched in the relationship that family therapy could be the only option for improvement. However, it is unlikely that family members would agree to come together for counseling this late in the game. With spouses, the dynamic may have developed over a shorter period of time, but it may still be difficult to set new boundaries and achieve a more balanced power structure. Couples counseling is an option that may yield results, but only if both parties are able and willing to participate.
Although it is not an excuse, analyzing your elder’s behavior in the context of family dynamics may provide some clues to the origins of their need for control. If this behavior is relatively new and has not been a pattern in your relationship, then it may be a fear-driven response.