What is Codependency?

       Codependency initially started out as a term to label the spouses of the chemically dependent. In this way the term means someone who is manipulated or controlled by a spouse with a pathological condition. The individual themselves was not actually defined with a pathological condition. As time goes by the term has been more broadly and broadly defined. In the popular sense codependency is now descriptive of any women in a dysfunctional relationship.
       Unfortunately, the term is utilized inconsistently, is not reliably measured and is frequently used as an oppressive factor most commonly to women. Despite the downfalls of the term researchers are getting closer and closer to legitimizing the terms and some have gone as far to try and find empirical support for making it a new personality disorder.
       Codependent behaviors are often described as a woman who depends on the needs or control of another, puts her priorities lower than that of another person, low self-esteem, excessive compliance and denial. Often times particularly in mental health settings feminine attributes all too easily fit the abstract mold of codependency. In many cases this can lead to victim-blaming, in which the client will see themselves as the problematic source of their behaviors. In other words a wife may be blamed for her codependency rather than the poor relationship her and her husband. This in due course often causes women to internalize codependency and an increase in women blaming the downfalls in their lives as a result of innate codependent behaviors.
       In many cases codependency is self-labelled and there is little to no empirical research that it is a disorder in and of itself. Despite these finding many individuals in the public including clinicians and client will utilize the label of codependence. Most research indicates that rather than being a disease codependence is often a coping technique that women use in order to maintain the sanctity of relationships and to create some form of stability in their life.