BEHAVIORAL ROLES OF CHILDREN OF ALCOHOLICS
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People who work with children of alcoholics have identified certain behavioral
roles that develop in childhood and can continue into adulthood. These survival
roles have been designated by Sharon Wegcheider-Cruse as follows:
Hero
(sometimes referred to as model child) - takes over family
responsibilities; can be an enabler of an alcoholic
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Positive Characteristics
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Negative Characteristics
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- responsible
- achiever
- independent
- leader
- organized
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- feelings of low self-worth
- perfectionist
- ignores own needs, wants
- has fear of rejection
- difficulty in establishing intimate relationships
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Scapegoat
(sometimes called problem child) - child's problems divert attention from
alcoholic's behavior
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Positive Characteristics
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Negative Characteristics
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- independent
- risk taker
- pleasure seeker
- enjoys change
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- demanding
- personality problems
- substance abuse
- acts out inappropriately
- accepts displaced blame for family problems
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Lost Child
demands little and receives same
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Positive Characteristics
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Negative Characteristics
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- good observation skills
- good listener
- autonomy
- not demanding of others
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- denies own feelings
- detached
- unable to develop close relationships
- depression
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Mascot
(sometimes called clown) - humor and behavior minimize alcohol issues
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Positive Characteristics
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Negative Characteristics
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- good sense of humor
- makes friends easily
- ability to defuse stressful situations
- good social skills
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- attention seeker
- denies reality of own feelings
- feelings of unworthiness
- can be superficial
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