| Abstract: | Discusses why treatment of adult children of alcoholics (ACAs) can be legitimately regarded as a subspecialty, even though its membership is diagnostically and developmentally heterogeneous. It is asserted that ACAs' pathology consists chiefly of different levels of developmental deficiencies and characterological adaptations. Case studies are presented to illustrate the pathogenic mechanisms triggered by or intertwined with parental alcoholism. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) |
