ABSTRACT
There has been extensive discussion in the last several years regarding the "dysfunctional family" and the resulting psychological effects on individuals within these families. As more popular psychology books and TV programs cover this issue, therapists will continue to have families walking in with this information out of context. A familiar question that is appearing more in early family therapy sessions reflects the client's self-diagnosis of coming from a "dysfunctional family" and their concern over subsequent negative effects. Recent data suggest that the idea of dysfunctional families may be based more on the typical American family rather than the atypical family. Several studies have estimated that as many as 96% of American families can be classified as dysfunctional according to the current definition being given the term.
