Sex and Psychology Podcast Episode 394: Are You Being a Parent to Your Partner?
May 6, 2025
Dr. Kate Balestrieri, a licensed psychologist and certified sex therapist, explores the complexities of parentified relationships where one partner takes on a caregiving role. She discusses key signs to identify this dynamic and its detrimental effects on intimacy and connection. Kate delves into how childhood experiences shape adult relationship roles, the emotional toll of gender expectations, and strategies to regain balance. The conversation highlights the importance of self-reflection and communication in fostering healthier partnerships and preventing relational burnout.
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Signs of Parentified Relationships
- Parentified relationships often involve one partner doing tasks the other could do as an adult, leading to inequity in domestic and emotional labor.
- This dynamic exhausts the over-functioning partner and drains sexual desire.
Causes of Parentified Dynamics
- Parentification often arises from differences in emotional maturity or trauma work between partners.
- In heterosexual relationships, societal gender roles often dictate women take on more caretaking, increasing parentification.
Gender Socialization and Emotional Labor
- Socialization discourages men from emotional expression, often leaving women to carry the emotional labor.
- This hurts everyone by creating inequity and impeding healthy emotional communication.
