Originally Posted by
LexieCat 
Well, the fact that they are estranged from the rest of your extended family might give you a clue. Some families are quick to circle the wagons and cut off anyone who upsets them.
Some of the books I have read about emotional cut off say a similar thing. The crux of what those books said is that some families show the example that if you have a problem with a friend or relative, that cutting them out of your life completely instead of working through the problem is some kind of acceptable solution.
That attitude and example can then be passed on through generations by multigenerational transmission ...
https://www.thebowencenter.org/theor...ssion-process/
In Bowen Family Systems, they can actually draw a diagram showing the whole family and the cutoffs and conflicts etc throughout the family. Have a look at the diagram on this page ...
A Brief History of The Bowen Theory - The Bowen Theory Education Center - 2016