Your role in your family

Anna Tanko, Opinion Writer

As someone who reads psychology textbooks for fun and plans on majoring in something within that subject, the Disney movie “Encanto” is so popular because of how people relate to it, not just because it’s a Disney movie. Every family tends to have roles and toxic families have very specific roles. Of course not every family is toxic and you should be grateful for the family you have. (Also, as a disclaimer, I love my family very much and I am not talking about them in any way.) I am specifically talking about looking at unhealthy family structures from a psychological perspective. In my opinion, the writer’s purpose behind “Encanto” is to show what generational trauma looks like in a way more people find easy to understand. In “Encanto”, Abuela is the main abuser in the family. I think she developed abusive traits from her trauma not healing correctly; however, trauma is never an excuse to treat someone badly. Julietta, the main character’s mom, has the ability to heal people through food and quite literally takes on the role of the healer, along with Luisa, the main character’s sister who has the ability of super strength. The healer in a family feels like their responsibility is to fix everything the abuser does without confronting them and also feels as though they need to heal the abuser’s trauma. Pepa, the main character’s aunt, has the ability to control weather through her emotions. Her specific role is hard to explain but her personality and gifts are developed through being gaslighted. Throughout the movie, she is being told not to feel her emotions, in a funny way such as,“Oh don’t be sad you have a rainy cloud”, but no one lets her feel upset or process anything in a healthy way so she becomes unstable. Tío Bruno and the main character, Maribel, both take on the role as scapegoat. The scapegoat in a toxic family normally gets all the problems blamed on them specifically because they tried to confront the abuser and stop the unhealthy traits. Isabela, who has the ability to grow plants, takes on the role of the golden child. The golden child is most easily described as the abusers favorite because they share the most traits with them. The golden child must fit into the abusers mold of them to avoid abuse and will do anything to stay on top, even partake in the abuse. Camilo, who has the ability to shapeshift, takes on the role as the family mascot. No family can live consistently in drama and needs someone to lighten the mood. The mascot lifts up everyone’s spirits, similar to the healer, as a way to help victims of the abuse trying to be everything that anyone needs them to be. If you become concerned or feel like you relate to these you should talk to one of our school counselors or a trained adult, considering that these roles can be very harmful to your mental health.