ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the articulation between liberation psychotherapy and co-dependency as symbolic systems, examining their fit at the level of meaning. It is devoted to an examination of codependency's core premises and causal logic. At the symbolic level, co-dependency discourse articulates perfectly with liberation psychotherapy. All co-dependency treatises maintain that the dysfunctional rules are woven into the very fabric of mainstream culture, a conviction that is readily apparent in John Bradshaw's contention that "[tjhe [dysfunctional] family itself is a symptom of society at large". According to Bradshaw, the poisonous pedagogy's rules encompass a wide range of commonly accepted albeit tacit beliefs, including: obedience makes a child strong, strong feelings are harmful, parents are always right. In the testimonials, CoDependents Anonymous members exhibited a mastery of codependency's symbolic order and its narrative of contamination, readily using those devices to classify and characterize themselves and their life experiences, both past and present.
