Codependency : a review of the feminist critique and other voices

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT:This review begins by tracing the history and initial formulations of codependency,followed by the presentation of ten main themes distilled from the feminist critique ofcodependency: disparate and problematic definitions of codependency; viewingcodependency as a disease; the use of codependency as a label; codependency asblaming the victim; codependency as a plot against women; codependency has an attackon femininity and traditional female roles; issues of individualism, narcissism andinterdependence; lack of research in the field; over simplification of complex realities; andcodependency as big business. These themes are presented along with recentdevelopments and other perspectives in the field. The review concludes with a numberof alternative formulations of codependency, as well as a recommendation of a numberof criteria against which to evaluate future conceptualisations of the concept.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University