Own Voice

Minuchin:  So you are acting, really, in strange ways, Gina.  You're acting as if you are six, and you're acting as if you are over 60, like your grandma.  

And both of your parents accept that, so it's not your fault.  It's absolutely your fault if you are running this household.  

But, Gina, you are caught because you are saying to your father the kinds of things that you think your mother wants to tell your dad, so you ampify Mother's voice.  

You are saying to your mommy the kind of things that you know your grandma and your father say to your mother.  

So you are just the voice of everybody in this family.  You don't have your own voice.  You are the puppet of the ventriloquist...

From Minuchin, S. & Fishman, H.C. (1981). Family Therapy Techniques. Harvard University Press. Cambridge, MA.