Episode
Are We in an Estrangement Epidemic?
- Published
- Aug 18, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 3247
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Summary
Rin Reczek spent two decades studying families before she turned her research toward estrangement. What she found in the data took her by complete surprise. In this conversation, the sociologist and author of Families We Lose explains why the estrangement rate probably isn't actually rising, why the language of "honor thy father and mother" shows up even in nonreligious families, and why grandparent estrangement is almost never the selfish, spiteful choice it gets painted as online. In this episode, you'll learn: - What "compulsory kinship" means, and how biology-based language like "step" and "half" quietly signals hierarchy in families - Why religious phrases about honoring parents show up in estrangement stories even among people who aren't religious - Why the data doesn't support the idea that adult children are cutting off grandparents to be controlling or spiteful Connect with Rin Reczek Website: www.rinreczek.com Buy Rin’s Book: https://amzn.to/4guKWI2 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 [email protected] Join the Family Cyclebreakers Club: https://callinghome.co Follow Whitney on Instagram | sitwithwhit Follow Whitney on YouTube | @whitneygoodmanlmft Order Whitney's book, Toxic Positivity: https://sitwithwhit.com/toxic-positivity Sign up for updates on Whitney's new book: https://cmnyyv4kpyt.typeform.com/to/PHMzjy0o This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional mental health advice. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.