What constitutes a functional family?

[Solitary Wanderer]

The media is full of references to the 'dysfunctional family'.

"What constitutes a functional family?

What did you learn about functionality – or its lack – from your upbringing?"

[knight66]

Off the top of my head I cannot think of a functional family. Some that seemed functional, even for quite a while, turned out to have fundamental problems. This does not mean they don't function at all; but they mainly rub along with the problems rarely being resolved.

I know of instances of feeling I am getting to know some wonderful parents; but it emerges they have brought up children to adulthood who all have severe difficulties with relationships....so, there was probably something disfunctional in the background.

Rather as with politics, it is "events dear boy, events." How a family copes or does not with events tends to show the degree of malfunction or maturity of the family units.

Perhaps we ought to redefine functionality. How about: Functionality is where no family member has murdered another.

Mike

[Solitary Wanderer]

Interesting thoughts Mike 

I would have said my own childhood was 'functional' until age eight, then dysfunctional after that untill adulthood.

However looking back now I realise that while my parents were still together in my youngest years, there were major problems being supressed under the surface which affected me greatly in later years.

So maybe there are varying degrees of dysfunction.