Kourtney Attributes Kardashian Women's Choice of Partners to 'Generational Trauma' Beginning with Grandma MJ

Kourtney Kardashian has expressed a belief that the women in her family often choose unsuitable life partners, a habit that she attributes to "generational trauma" originating from her grandmother.

In the season 4 finale of The Kardashians, aired on Thursday, November 30, Kourtney, aged 44, broached this topic with her mother Kris Jenner and sister Khloé Kardashian. She shares that her understanding and awareness around this issue came from her personal therapy sessions.

Kourtney confessed during a narrative piece to camera, "I embarked on a journey of self-awareness without really knowing what I was engaging in. I began therapy as a result of a toxic relationship and it taught me so much about myself and my family. It helped me understand why I act in certain ways, about the scars from our childhood, how they manifest in our intimate relationships, and about generational trauma."

Before tying the knot with Travis Barker in 2022, Kourtney endured a nine-year relationship with Scott Disick, with whom she has three children. The relationship ended in 2015 due to Disick's excessive partying and alleged infidelity.

Khloé, aged 39, expressed scepticism, telling Kourtney, "No offense intended, but we all have our own issues. Let's just buckle up and get on with it" but Kourtney remained undeterred and determined to shift her perspective.

"We need to break certain patterns. We don't want to pass these things down to our children," argued Kourtney, the founder of Poosh. Responding to Khloe's question about whether choosing bad partners could be considered a genetic trait, Kourtney said, "I think it's generational. It stems from MJ," referring to Kris's mother, Mary Jo "MJ" Houghton, who has been married three times.

Khloé, the founder of Lemme, observed, "We've all chosen partners thinking we could change certain things about them and we were wrong."

Kris, aged 68, disagreed with Kourtney, telling her, "I'm not even contemplating that. I've got a full, amazing life, why should I revisit the past?"

Khloé lightened the mood during her narrative piece, humorously commenting, "God bless Kourtney, because she is definitely trying to initiate a therapeutic conversation. And god bless my mom because she is definitely not."

Kourtney admitted during her confessional, "I realize that therapy would be beneficial for my family members. However, I'm letting go of the urge to change other people and choosing to accept everyone as they are. This is my journey."

In the Kardashian family, Kris has been divorced twice, first from Robert Kardashian Sr. in 1991 and then from Caitlyn Jenner. Kris's divorce settlement finalized in March 2015 cited irreconcilable differences.

Kim Kardashian has been married three times. Her first marriage was to music producer Damon Thomas in 2000, which ended in divorce in 2004. She married former NBA player Kris Humphries in 2011 but filed for divorce only 72 days post marriage. Kim then married rapper Kanye West in 2014 and their divorce finalized in November 2022.

Khloé married former NBA player Lamar Odom in 2009 after a short acquaintance of one month. In 2013, she filed for divorce amid numerous allegations of Odom's infidelity and substance abuse. However, she postponed the divorce to help Odom recover from a near-fatal drug overdose, finally divorcing him in 2016. Khloé later gave birth to two children fathered by ex-boyfriend Tristan Thompson, who was involved in multiple infidelity scandals.