You developed mental and/or emotional disorders, and/or substance abuse problems as a result of being scapegoated and overburdened.Whenever you got stronger, more confident, or happier, your family seemed intent on bringing you down and/or convincing you that you weren’t getting any better.Your family seemed intent on making you feel “deficient” and as though you were always fundamentally lacking.You were mocked, ridiculed, and/or made fun of on a constant basis.You always carried the feeling that you “didn’t fit in” with your family, and you didn’t develop strong connections with them.Your mistakes were blown out of proportion and/or punished disproportionately.Your parents were more strict with you than they were with your other siblings.Symptoms that you were chosen as the Identified Patient of your family include the following: If you were the Identified Patient in your family, you were most likely chosen as the “trouble maker” or “problem child” due to your status within the family (e.g., young, naive and abusable, or older, headstrong and threatening), or your differing Soul Age and personality, which drew attention to your contrasting likes, tastes, and habits. Naturally, these qualities placed a big bullseye on your head and were used against you throughout your life. The “Identified Patient” or IP, was a term that emerged in the 1950s to describe the actions of sick and dysfunctional families and their tendency to assign one person in the family as a scapegoat to their problems.Įssentially, the Identified Patient is said to be a way that families avoid their own internal pain, disappointments, and struggles, by pointing the finger at another family member as the cause for all the problems they experience. This tendency to scapegoat is known in psychology as the “ Identified Patient.“ On top of being considered weird, black sheep are often scapegoated and blamed for the majority of a family’s problems. Sometimes “black sheep” has strong negative connotations as it can be used to refer to a person who is considered a “misfit,” criminal, addict, or overall troublemaker. The “black sheep of the family” is a term that refers to a family member who is considered peculiar, strange, unconventional, eccentric, or not aligned with the family’s persona and values. Connect with your heart and listen to your intuition Treat this as a rare opportunity to do some soul searching Learn to love yourself and embrace your wounded inner child

Understand that you are not the cause of your family’s dysfunction Create healthy boundaries that preserve your mental health

7 Ways to Heal the Wounds of Being a Black Sheep.

Why Being the Black Sheep of the Family is Spiritual Opportunity Par Excellence.

12 Mental and Emotional Wounds Caused By Being a Black Sheep.

9 Signs You’re the Black Sheep of the Family.Symptoms that you were chosen as the Identified Patient of your family include the following:.Black Sheep Are Often Scapegoats (aka.

Dark sheep hard