Overview

When a child is disabled, it affects the entire family. Whether blind, autistic, or ADHD, the mentally and physically disabled child calls for constant care, resulting in other children being shoved aside or called upon for extra support. Siblings often know each other longer than they will know their own parents, and able siblings are most often turned to for help with their disabled siblings from a young age into adulthood. What are the emotional effects of these children who were forced to care for their disabled siblings? Dr. Peggy Boone conducted a study to explore the long-lasting effects and problems within disabled families. When she questioned able siblings, she found guilt, anger, and sadness. These children, now adults, understand that their childhoods were full of a responsibility and shame that are not typical. Dr. Boone uses Jungian archetypes to explore the different ways siblings deal with their placement within disabled families. These innate types of behavior become a way for able siblings to measure all of their experiences, beliefs, and ideas. Whether the role of Warrior, Victim, Rescuer, or Martyr, these archetypes furnish basic patterns and instincts of behavior that may have enabled the siblings to become normally functioning adults despite the struggle against lingering shadows. Each archetype is full of personal anecdotes from able siblings in an effort to better understand the emotional impact on these families. Shadow Boxing: Siblings of the Disabled will furnish a model for siblings and parents who must deal with the discrepancy between conventional families and their own realities.

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9781621472377

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