Poll: Is it possible to succeed in life if you come from a dysfunctional family?

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  • Yes
  • No
0 voters
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Depends on what you call “success”?

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Ofcourse. Your life depends on you not anything else. Your happiness is dependent on you and happiness to me is success.

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There are circumstances beyond our control who shape us before we even develop some insight.
It’s a tricky question.
I’ve seen people from all walks of life who became successful in one area or another. Yes, including offspring of dysfunctional couples.

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Yes, I believe you can succeed even when from a dysfunctional family. Someone close to me came from an extremely dysfunctional family, and that person is a testament to being successful despite one’s origins. @Andrey has an interesting point about circumstances shaping us before we develop insight. Psychoanalytic therapy can help with this, but truly things can affect us before we realize. I voted yes though.

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Our family was dysfunctional. Almost was a divorce. But stayed together and is functioning ok. High stress but functioning.

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I have sooooooo many potatoes.

I am big success.

:potato: :+1:

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When I was in the navy I noticed that the guys who came from nothing, the guys who came from really horrible families, tended to do the best. To the contrary, the guys who came from nice families, privileged families, tended to quit when things got difficult.

A dysfunctional family can provide the motivation to do well in life. However, it can also provide a convenient excuse as to why a person doesn’t do anything with their life.

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There are many examples of successful people who were raised in dysfunctional family systems

Yes it’s very common by the way

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Family isnt front and centre in my life like a lot of other people seem to have. In my mind blood ties arent super important. They can be awesome and great. But they dont always eclipse the importance of friendships or partners etc. But this is coming from a dude who grew up an only child to a single mother. So maybe im built different from that among other things.

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Some of the most successful people in the world came from abusive, dysfunctional families.

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Yeah we are all fully capable of dramatic change at almost any point in our lives. We arent set in stone once our youth leaves us i beleive.

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I like that example. Thanks.

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Sure, there’s many examples of celebrities, famous people and rich people who became successful after having difficult or abusive upbringings. The Beach Boys brothers father was physically and mentally abusive yet they reached massive heights of success. I hear Michael Jackson’s father was controlling and abusive but the Jackson Five were hugely successful. Oprah lived in poverty and was sexually abused as a child. And there are many, many more.

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Most families are dysfunctional in some way.

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AI Overview

Learn more

Several successful individuals have openly discussed overcoming challenges from dysfunctional family backgrounds, including: Adele, Steven Spielberg, Jennifer Aniston, Michael Jackson, Tom Cruise, Drew Barrymore, Jay-Z, Demi Lovato, Kate Hudson, and Macaulay Culkin; many of whom have shared experiences with absent fathers, parental abuse, or significant family conflict that they have navigated to achieve success in their fields.

Key points about these individuals:

  • Adele: Well-known for her estranged relationship with her father, Mark Evans, which she has spoken about openly.
  • Steven Spielberg: Many of his films often depict themes of absent fathers, reflecting his own childhood experiences.
  • Michael Jackson: Publicly documented history of abuse by his father, Joe Jackson.
  • Jennifer Aniston: Her mother, Nancy Aniston, has written a memoir detailing their troubled family history.
  • Tom Cruise: Experienced a largely absent father throughout his life.
  • Drew Barrymore: Has spoken about being estranged from her mother.
  • Jay-Z: Shared experiences of his father being absent for most of his life.

Generative AI is experimental.

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My childhood was â– â– â– â– â– â–  up, a lot of bad stuff went down in our house, to the point of having PTSD (besides schizoaffective disorder and GAD).

Sometimes I feel like a failure because I fell so very short of the potential I had as a so-called gifted child. I need to stop comparing myself to middle-aged normies, also stop comparing my accomplishments to what I think I should have accomplished by 45 years old. Hell, I “should” be an experienced physician with a house and a yard, etc, but instead I’m a slightly crazy schizoaffective living in a crappy apartment and working in a dispensary.

To some normies I might seem like a failure, but considering my dx, I’d say having my own place and car, being employed full time as an assistant manager is quite a success. I’m not satisfied with where I’m at, though. I want better for myself, especially when it comes to where I work. I want out.

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Most families are dysfunctional in some way, including mine

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My family is extremely dysfunctional and I consider myself successful in that I have accomplished several of my long term goals and I’m actively working towards the rest

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I have more potatoes than you. I am most successful therefore :wink:

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