We're all familiar with families that never seem to get out of the cellar financially, socially, or medically. They have kids with lots of potential, occasionally beautiful and brilliant as well, but who end up losers nevertheless. We went to school with them. Disasters of one sort or another follow them around. Stupidity and inappropriateness seem to abound in their histories. They define the phrase "dysfunctional family." Quite frequently, members of these families are alcoholic, sex "perverts," drug addicts, criminals, gamblers, murderers, and con artists. Not infrequently is an occasional massive success that seems to stand out in glaring contradistinction. These families are not enigmas. They fit into our perception of human nature and the "monkey see, monkey do" theory of human behavior currently prevalent. We blithely attribute their weirdness to bad upbringing, lack of spiritual values, antisocial personalities, poor education, bad neighborhoods, absence of "good role models," poverty, and other reasons according to our personal views. They seem to be excellent examples of the commonly held view that schmuckiness is learned.

Every so often, a quite wealthy and socially successful family shows up with the same kind of black cloud story but who lacks the above reasons for their peculiarities. By them we are dumbfounded. They are enigmas. Absent the typical excuses for their misadventures and misbehaviors, we attribute to them a superstitious theory for their mishaps - A Family Curse.

One such family, in the public eye for the last eighty years, is the Kennedy family*. (I could use the Clintons equally as well, but there aren't enough of them.) The Kennedy Curse follows them in a ghostly manner. Even the best, the brightest, and the most beautiful seem to be affected ineluctably by this curse.

HEADLINE: John Jr. Dies In Airplane Crash That Kills Wife and Sister-In-law; Accident Or Fatal Hypoic Decision?

They run and hide but can't seem to shake it. Out of nowhere - BOOM - another inexplicable disaster. This is some sticky curse. Addictions of all sorts, individual disasters, horrible decisions, earth shaking gambles, deadly misadventures, and criminal misbehaviors abound among the Kennedys at the same time as cosmic successes, generation after generation. What else but a curse could be so inescapable?

HEADLINE: Hypoism, Made Up Of The Stickiest Stuff On Earth - DNA.

The Pathophysiology of Hypoism: Inherited genetic alterations of the Decision-Making Apparatus that inexorably lead to the three cardinal manifestations of Hypoism.

The three cardinal manifestations of Hypoism are: 1) Addictions to substances, people, behaviors, and beliefs, 2) Disastrous decisions, and 3) Evaluation mistakes that result in disasters.

The list of examples of these manifestations among the Kennedys is endless.

This hypoic family is very typical of hypoic families around the world, but is illustrative because they are so well known and in the public eye daily. The others are ignored and dismissed as merely dysfunctional. Policy decisions at a personal and at a public level figure profoundly into this family's story. This hypoic family demonstrates both the creative, productive, and inventive qualities of Hypoism as well as the inevitable disasters despite these positive attributes. The Kennedys are probably the most closely studied family on the face of the earth. Yet, despite all the books, articles, movies and court cases, no one has figured out what thread runs through their history as individuals and as a group. It's not a curse. It is Hypoism.

We all ask ourselves when thinking about the Kennedy's, "How could such an intelligent, wealthy, savvy group of people live in such a destructive manner?" The Kennedys is an example of the inexorability of Hypoism despite all attempts to change themselves in every conscious and willful way. Do they lack family values, religious upbringing, or a higher power? Did they come from broken homes, poverty, and a poor socioeconomic neighborhood? Was there a crack house on the block, bad peer pressure, and bad friends? Did they drop out of school or have bad teachers? Was psychotherapy or social worker help unavailable? How about disapproving family members, not enough emotional support and acceptance in the home? The clear answer is no. So, can we finally dispense with the above outmoded and nonsequitous excuses for why people "become" addicts and make disastrous mistakes?

The Kennedy family provides evidence for many and most addictions: alcohol, people addiction, heroin, image, sex, power, criminality, money, self-righteousness, religion, narcissism, and gambling-risk taking. These addictions define the presence of Hypoism. Do I need to list the disasters and just missed disasters?

There is no Kennedy curse, but there is Kennedy Hypoism.

Wouldn't it be something (WOW!) to see the whole family get into recovery and really do something helpful for society without the mess that non-recovery inevitably results in and without that phony-bologna image that it presents to us for our stupid mesmerization?

To have the Kennedys take their rightful and loving place as the poster family for Hypoism, support the N4A (The National Association for the Advancement and Advocacy of Addicts), and recover in HNA (Hypoics Not-Anonymous) would do infinite good for them as well as the world. This could be their true and lasting legacy.