The cutoff symbol—a line with two slashes—represents complete emotional disconnection between family members. Cutoffs are among the most clinically significant patterns in family systems, indicating relationships where contact has been severed entirely, often following unresolved conflict or trauma.
Cutoff Relationship: Single line with two slashes (indicating severed connection)
A cutoff in family systems terminology refers to the complete severing of emotional contact between family members. According to Monica McGoldrick and colleagues, "A single line with two slashes through it indicates a cutoff." Murray Bowen considered cutoffs one of the most significant variables affecting family system prognosis.
Unlike distance (which involves limited contact), cutoff means no contact at all— family members may not speak, see each other, or acknowledge each other's existence. Cutoffs can last years or even generations, profoundly impacting family functioning.
Murray Bowen stated that cutoffs are among the most significant family variables influencing prognosis. Cutoffs don't eliminate the emotional intensity of relationships—they simply redirect it. The emotional energy invested in maintaining a cutoff often equals or exceeds what maintaining the relationship would require.
No contact whatsoever—no calls, visits, messages, or acknowledgment. The person may be treated as if they don't exist.
Cutoffs typically persist for extended periods—years or decades. They may last until death without reconciliation.
Cutoffs affect the entire family system, forcing others to take sides or navigate around the disconnection.
Despite no contact, strong emotions remain—anger, grief, longing. The relationship continues to exert influence.
Cutoffs rarely develop spontaneously. They typically follow specific triggering events or accumulation of unresolved issues:
McGoldrick notes: "Cutoffs can also involve great conflict or silent distancing." Some cutoffs follow explosive confrontation; others develop gradually through increasing avoidance until contact simply stops. Both patterns lead to the same symbol on the genogram but may have different clinical implications.
Murray Bowen's family systems theory provides a framework for understanding cutoffs as a manifestation of low differentiation. Key concepts include:
Cutoff feels like a solution—eliminating the source of pain. However, Bowen argued that cutoff doesn't resolve the underlying emotional intensity; it merely relocates it. The anxiety that drove the cutoff often resurfaces in other relationships or gets transmitted to the next generation.
Cutoffs reflect difficulty managing emotional reactivity. When individuals cannot tolerate the anxiety of remaining connected while maintaining their own position, cutoff becomes the default. Higher differentiation would allow maintaining connection despite disagreement.
Families with cutoffs often show the pattern across generations. Children who witness parents cutting off relatives learn this as a template for managing relationship difficulties. The pattern then repeats in their own adult relationships.
While Bowen theory generally views cutoffs as problematic, there are situations where limiting or ending contact may be necessary:
In these cases, the clinical focus shifts to processing the decision, maintaining the client's mental health, and preventing transmission of trauma to the next generation—not necessarily to reconciliation.
Important: McGoldrick emphasizes noting the start and end dates of any cutoffs, "since it is likely to ripple out into other patterns of illness or other dysfunction."
The Chen Family: Linda (52) has been cut off from her father Wei (78) for 20 years, since she married a man he disapproved of. The genogram reveals Wei had cut off his own brother 30 years earlier over a business dispute. Linda's children have never met their grandfather.
Wei's recent cancer diagnosis has prompted Linda to seek therapy to process her feelings about potential reconciliation. The therapist helps her explore:
When cutoffs are resolved, genograms can document this through the "cutoff repaired" symbol—a line with slashes and a circle between them, indicating that the severed connection has been restored. This represents clinical progress and system change.
Reconnection after estrangement
Less severe than cutoff - some contact remains
Between distant and complete cutoff
Often precedes cutoff
Yes, these terms are often used interchangeably. "Cutoff" is the clinical/Bowen theory term; "no contact" or "NC" is more commonly used in popular discourse. Both refer to complete cessation of relationship.
Healthy boundaries involve limiting specific behaviors while maintaining connection. Cutoff eliminates the relationship entirely. Boundaries are about what behaviors you'll accept; cutoff is about cutting off the person.
In cases of ongoing abuse or danger, limiting contact may be necessary for safety. However, even necessary cutoffs have systemic effects that should be processed therapeutically. The goal is conscious choice rather than reactive fleeing.
Use GenogramAI to map cutoffs and track their impact across generations.
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