Adult Children and Codependency

Codependency has been criticized for gender bias.
-Describe how codependency is created?
-What are the arguments against the viewpoint that codependency is gender biased?
-In what ways does counseling professionals’ codependency help or not help this population?
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(1) Describe has Codependency has been created.

Co-dependency has been defined as an extreme focus on relationships caused by a stressed family background (Fischer, Spann, & Crawford, 1991 as cited in Fuller & Warner, 2000). The concept or codependency is created by relatives of a family member, who play a role in helping a person to maintain a drug or alcohol problem. The family member may intentionally or unintentionally encourage an individual to maintain an addiction. As he enables the family member in dealing with his or her addiction; he or she may also be prone to substance abuse.

(2) What are the arguments against the viewpoint that codependency is gender biased?

Critics argue against the viewpoint that codependency is gender biased for several reasons. First, Fuller and Warner (2000) assert that the problem lies with the definition of the concept of ‘care giving’ associated with codependency. For instance, the arguments are based on the claim that care giving is pathological. Thus, care giving is associated with the definition of codependency in a way that differentiates between the normal, healthy care …