Understand the Meaning of Codependent Relationships

For the most part, people don't appreciate the term codependent relationship or what it means. Many times, codependency is wrongly referred to as a person who is overly needy in their romantic relationships. Yes, neediness or clinginess can be a trait of some codependents but it's not the correct way to describe a codependent relationship. It's crucial for people to understand that codependency is much more complex than just a single symptom or sense of neediness. In fact, many "needy" people aren't codependent, and many codependent people don't act needy at all. This article is intended to clarify what a codependent relationship is so you can decide if you are being affected by this harmful personality trait.

The term codependent is relatively young. It's only been around for a few decades. But people have been behaving in this way for much longer than that. When Alcoholics Anonymous came onto the scene to help alcoholics, some counselors began to note that many relatives of alcoholics exhibited similar traits. Specifically, these family members spent a majority of their time dealing with the problems of their loved ones. Initially, these family members were referred to as co-alcoholics. At some point, mental health professionals started to realize that a person didn't need to be in a relationship with an alcoholic to behave in a codependent manner and the term was changed.

Another concern is that codependency is a puzzling disorder because it covers a wide variety of symptoms. However, most people who are codependent have some similar characteristics, which include:

- Using relationships as a origin of self-worth instead of finding it from within.

- Many codependents try hard to help others with their problems and shortcomings through covering for them, offering unwanted advice, etc.

Unfortunately, codependents are not able to have fulfilling relationships as long as they continue to exhibit unhealthy behaviors. The good news is the codependency is a learned behavior, which means it can also be unlearned. The bad news is that the only person who can make a change is the codependent. He/she must be willing to acknowledge that the way they relate is unhealthy and also be willing to take steps to change their behaviors.

It's worth noting that codependent people are not bad people at all. For the most part, they are wonderful, kind people who are more concerned with others than they are themselves. The problem is they often don't care about themselves very much. If this article rings true with you, now is a great time to learn more about what codependency is and how you can make a change in your life to have healthier relationships starting now!

If you think that you may be exhibiting any of these unhealthy personality traits, now is the best time to learn more about codependent relationships.