“Black sheep” refers to an individual in a family who stands out—and not in a good way. Unfortunately, they are considered less valuable than other family members and are often blamed for their pre-established dysfunctional family dynamics. For example, suppose a family enables an abusive member, but one family member does not. In that case, this person is likely to be perceived as a black sheep and is vulnerable to being blamed for any discomfort their deviation from the established dynamics causes the family. Family therapists often refer to black sheep as the “identified patient” or the “family’s scapegoat,” and family members often refer to them as “mentally ill,” “dramatic,” “overly sensitive,” “worthless,” or “bad.”
Trauma survivors whose offenders are family members are often assigned the role of black sheep to maintain dysfunctional family dynamics. For example, suppose one family member refuses to communicate with an abusive family member, but their family is structured to conceal, support, and enable the abusive person. In that case, the family may consider the trauma survivor the problem in the family, as opposed to the abuser and the family system that enables the abuse (which are the actual problems).
Trauma survivors who are black sheep should be celebrated, as they have many admirable qualities that often........