Family secret

For other uses, see Family secret (disambiguation).

A family secret can be defined as "events or information that members hide from each other or those outside the family." Family secrets can be shared by the whole family, by some family members or kept by an individual member of the family. Anecdotally, family secrets may be accepted as a form of preventing others from experiencing unnecessary pain or even maintain a family's reputation. The effects of keeping a family secret can have positive or negative impacts on individuals involved, although it has remained a subject of much debate.

Despite the negative implications and associations of holding a family secret, many believe the act is beneficial and even a necessary function of maintaining familial and interpersonal relationships. The act of with-holding or differentially sharing information is also linked to the setting of boundaries and alliances which underscore the structures of relational systems.

Family members often see keeping the secrets as important to keeping the family working, but over time the secrets can increase the anxiety in the family. The confidentiality of family secrets revealed by a patient is a common ethical dilemma for counsellors and therapists.

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