What term refers to the process where stress between spouses is redirected through a child to create an illusion of harmony?

The process described in the question is known as detouring. In familial dynamics, especially within the context of marriage and family therapy, detouring occurs when parents divert tension or conflict between themselves onto a child. This redirection can provide the appearance of a harmonious family unit by shifting focus away from the spousal conflict.

By involving the child in the discord, the parents may inadvertently create a sense of alliance with the child, thereby alleviating their own stress for a moment. However, this is a maladaptive mechanism as it can lead to complex emotional issues for the child, such as anxiety and loyalty conflicts. Detouring can disrupt healthy family functioning and delay the resolution of the underlying marital issues, making it a critical concept in therapy.

In contrast, enmeshment refers to overly close relationships where boundaries are blurred, typically leading to a lack of individual identities within the family. A cross-generational coalition is a situation where a parent and child form a coalition against another parent, which can create rifts rather than an illusion of harmony. Disengagement reflects emotional distancing between family members, often leading to a lack of communication and connection, which is quite different from the detouring process. Understanding these terms helps in recognizing unhealthy patterns in family systems and addressing