Family secret
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For other uses, see Family Secret (disambiguation).
A family secret can be defined as "events or information that members hide from each other or those outside the family."[1] Family secrets can be shared by the whole family, by some family members or kept by an individual member of the family. Anecdotally, family secrets may be accepted as a form of preventing others from experiencing unnecessary pain or even maintain a family's reputation.[2] The effects of keeping a family secret can have positive or negative impacts on individuals involved, although has remained a subject of much debate.[3][4]
Despite the negative implications and associations of holding a family secret, many believe the act is beneficial and even a necessary function of maintaining familial and interpersonal relationships.[5] The act of with-holding or differentially sharing information is also linked to the setting of boundaries and alliances which underscore the structures of relational systems.[6]
Family members often see keeping the secrets as important to keeping the family working, but over time the secrets can increase the anxiety in the family.[7] The confidentiality of family secrets revealed by a patient is a common ethical dilemma for counsellors and therapists.[8]