Myth of the Bad Seed: The Dangerous Belief That Some Children Are Just Broken

“He's been hard since the day he was born.” “Something in her is just off, and always has been.” “Is there something broken with my child?” Whitney traces questions and the fears beneath them to a centuries old belief that some people are simply born bad. It’s a belief that has changed costumes across religion, science, and psychology but never fully gone away. Whitney brings questions like these into the present for the parents living with a child with a mental illness, an addiction, or a disability they can't fix.

In this episode, you'll learn:

- How the "born bad" idea traveled across history

- Why temperament is real but more complicated than you think

- How to recognize these fears if you were the "problem child" so you don't hand it down

Whitney Goodman is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) and the founder of Calling Home, a membership community that helps people navigate complex family dynamics and break harmful cycles.

Have a question for Whitney? Send a voice memo or email to whitney@callinghome.co

Join the Family Cyclebreakers Club: https://callinghome.co

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Order Whitney's book, Toxic Positivity: https://sitwithwhit.com/toxic-positivity

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This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional mental health advice.

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