Editing Codependency (section)

{{short description|Type of relationship where one person enables the other's self-destructive tendencies}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2024}}
{{Psychology sidebar|all}}

In [[psychology]], '''codependency''' is a theory that attempts to explain imbalanced [[Interpersonal relationship|relationship]]s where one person [[Enabling|enables]] another person's self-destructive behavior,<ref>{{cite book |last1=McGrath |first1=Michael |last2=Oakley |first2=Barbara |author2-link=Barbara Oakley |editor1-last=Oakley |editor1-first=Barbara |editor2-last=Knafo |editor2-first=Ariel |editor3-last=Madhavan |editor3-first=Guruprasad |editor4-last=Wilson |editor4-first=David Sloan |title=Codependency and Pathological Altruism |date=2012 |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=New York |isbn=9780199876341 |page=49}}</ref> such as [[addiction]], poor [[mental health]], [[Maturity (psychological)|immaturity]], [[Social responsibility|irresponsibility]], or [[Underachiever|under-achievement]].<ref name="BPDFamily">{{Cite news|last=Johnson|first=R. Skip|title=Codependency and Codependent Relationships |url=http://bpdfamily.com/content/codependency-codependent-relationships|publisher=[[BPDFamily.com]]|date=13 July 2014|access-date=9 September 2014}}</ref>

Definitions of codependency vary, but typically include high [[self-sacrifice]], a focus on others' needs, suppression of one's own emotions, and attempts to control or fix other people's problems.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Dear |first1=Greg E. |last2=Roberts |first2=Clare M. |last3=Lange |first3=Lois |editor1-last=Shohov |editor1-first=Serge P. |title=Defining Codependency: A Thematic Analysis of Published Definitions |journal=Advances in Psychology Research |date=2004 |volume=34 |pages=189–205 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nvDkZDAP1HIC&dq=Defining+codependency%3A+An+analysis+of+published+definitions&pg=PA189 |access-date=9 August 2024 |publisher=Nova Publishers |isbn=978-1-59454-079-0 |language=en}}</ref>

People who self-identify as codependent are more likely to have low [[self-esteem]], but it is unclear whether this is a cause or an effect of characteristics associated with codependency.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Marks|first1=A.|last2=Blore|first2=R.|last3=Hine|first3=D.|last4=Dear|first4=G.|date=2012|title=Development and Validation of a Revised Measure of Codependency|url=|journal=Australian Journal of Psychology|volume=64|issue=3|pages=119–127|doi=10.1111/j.1742-9536.2011.00034.x|s2cid=143154273|doi-access=free}}</ref>