Psychologist Breaks Down Britney and Jamie Lynn Spears' Feud

A psychologist has broken down Britney and Jamie Lynn Spears' feud following the younger sister's appearance on the Call Her Daddy podcast.

The two siblings' vicious war of words is continuing to escalate amid the release of Jamie Lynn Spears' memoir, Things I Should Have Said.

The Zoey 101 star said that Britney Spears offered their mother a new house if she divorced their dad.

"I was really confused by that," Jamie Lynn Spears said of the situation. "Now looking back, like what a weird f****** thing to do. It seems like a weird thing, like, 'I'll give you a house if you divorce Dad.' Why would your kid be able to tell you that?

"Already, these dynamics are messed up, and that's where I think, too, my dynamics were kind of effed up. Because my sister's paying bills. But I was a kid—I didn't have a choice where I put my head or where I slept."

Julie Theis M.S., a psychology expert who examines pop culture stories, has said that the interview shows Jamie Lynn Spears' apparent lack of empathy for her older sister's situation.

"This interview did give us more insight into their very toxic, unhealthy family dynamic," Theis says in her TikTok video which has garnered more than 600,000 views at the time of publishing.

The video can also be seen here.

Jamie Lynn Spears previously said that her older sister was like "another momma" to her in her interview with Good Morning America last week.

Theis goes on to explain that this is an example of what is called "parentification."

According to Psychology Today, parentification is "when a child is forced to take on the role of an adult. Many children get pushed into the role of caretaker for their younger siblings or become the referee in their parent's arguments."

It leads to children ending up in developmentally inappropriate situations.

Theis says that Jamie Lynn Spears praises her sister as being like her mother but points out how this is psychologically damaging for children put into a parent role within a family.

"She is really skipping past the psychological damage that this has. Because the dynamic that Jamie Lynn describes is called parentification—when the child is forced to take on the role of an adult."

Theis explains that it is "very common in addiction-based households" and can leave children "scarred for life" as it "interrupts the natural cycle of child development."

She said: "Jamie Lynn, in a very unempathetic way, let it slip out that this was Britney's role not only emotionally, but Britney was also the breadwinner of this family."

This breakdown came just ahead of Britney Spears issuing a cease and desist letter to Jamie Lynn Spears.

The star's lawyer Mathew Rosengart has said that his client will not hesitate to file a lawsuit if her sister keeps speaking about her "derogatorily" in interviews promoting her memoir.

"We write with some hesitation because the last thing Britney wants is to bring more attention to your ill-timed book and its misleading or outrageous claims about her," the letter reads, per Rolling Stone. "Although Britney has not read and does not intend to read your book, she and millions of her fans were shocked to see how you have exploited her for monetary gain.

"You of all people know the abuse and wrongdoing Britney had to endure during the conservatorship, after initially growing up with a 'ruinous' alcoholic father. In fact, your own book reportedly states that your father 'spent most of my life in that cycle of ruinous behavior. His bouts of drinking caused me periods of torment and sorrow.'

"As I have previously stated, having endured a 13-year conservatorship that stripped her of civil rights and fundamental liberties, Britney will no longer be bullied by her father or anyone else. Britney was the family's breadwinner and she also otherwise supported you. Publicly airing false or fantastical grievances is wrong, especially when designed to sell books. It is also potentially unlawful and defamatory," he said.

Britney Spears has continued to refute certain claims made by her sister in her controversial book and even said that said she should have "slapped" her sister and mother in a now-deleted Instagram post.