Therapist Development Center Practice Exam 1

What issue is most likely associated with a family exhibiting enmeshed boundaries?

1. Emotional cutoff

2. Sexual abuse

3. Oppositional behavior

4. Substance abuse

The correct answer is: Sexual abuse

Families with enmeshed boundaries typically experience a lack of differentiation among family members, leading to an over-involvement in each other's lives and an inability to establish personal autonomy. This dynamic can create an environment where personal boundaries are blurred, and emotional dependencies are heightened. Sexual abuse may be more likely to occur in families with enmeshed boundaries due to the lack of established personal space and the potential for inappropriate behaviors to be normalized or overlooked. In such families, individuals may struggle to communicate their discomfort or refuse unwanted advances, which can lead to exploitation or abuse within that context of closeness. While other issues like emotional cutoff, oppositional behavior, and substance abuse can occur in family dynamics and may sometimes intersect with enmeshment issues, they do not directly highlight the dysfunction of boundary dissolution and the potential for abusive relationships as strongly as sexual abuse does.