More of Us Are Parting With Our Relatives. That's Good.

"One of the things I enjoyed most about this past holiday season was my mother's absence. From my childhood until I severed ties with her in my forties, Christmas with her was a torment. She had always excelled at humiliation, gaslighting, tirades, and other forms of emotional abuse. But these hardships felt even more acute during a season which extols the supportive family bonds my siblings and I never knew."

"A 2020 survey of over 1,300 Americans by Cornell sociology professor Karl Pillemer found that 27% were estranged from at least one close relative. Five years later, a you.gov poll of almost 4,400 Americans put that figure at 38%. This numerical increase has been mirrored recently by high-profile, pre-holiday examinations of estrangement by Oprah Winfrey on her podcast and by Pillemer and Mel Robbins in the New York Times. The arrival of #nocontact in the mainstream media's spotlight has drawn fire from both sides in what has become a heated debate."

Family estrangement has increased in recent years, with a notable rise in people cutting contact with relatives. Surveys indicate 27% of respondents were estranged from at least one close relative in 2020 and 38% in a later poll of almost 4,400 Americans. High-profile media attention and the popularization of #nocontact have amplified public awareness. Critics blame social media, therapy culture, impulsivity, or fragile egos for the trend, while many who leave cite ongoing emotional abuse, gaslighting, humiliation, and toxic family dynamics. Calls have grown to respond without judgment and to support those who disengage.

Read at Psychology Today