3 . Aggressive behaviour
4 . Addictions and Compulsions
5 . Trust Issues
3 . Aggressive behaviour
The notion that the inner child is quiet , passive , and long-suffering is a myth . Actually , the wounded inner child can be petulant , angry , and aggressive . So much of the violence and bloodshed in the world is due to unresolved childhood trauma that is stored within the inner child . Just look at Hitler , for example . He was chronically beaten and toxically shamed as a child by his sadistic father , who in turn was the bastard son of a Jewish landlord . Hitler was then responsible for one of the greatest massacres of the Jewish peoples ( and other groups ) of all time . Prisons are also full of men , women , and individuals who have wounded inner children . Many criminals simply reenact the abuse they experienced as children . According to psychiatrist Bruno Bettelheim , these antisocial breeds of people came to identify with the abuser ( which was typically a parent , family member or family friend ). How does this happen ? As a way to survive the trauma , the wounded child loses all sense of self and identity , and instead identifies with the offender . But abused children don ’ t only develop aggression . If we were raised in families that spoiled and pampered us , this kind of environment can breed a wounded inner child who believes he is superior to others . Thus , he feels justified in abusing others .
4 . Addictions and Compulsions
Addictions and compulsions are experienced by adults with wounded inner children who were abandoned – whether emotionally , physically or spiritually . In order to fill the empty hole inside – the hole that formed in childhood – pathological relationships are developed with alcohol , drugs , gambling , or other addictive preoccupations .
5 . Trust Issues
Trust issues lead to tremendous anxiety and isolation . The wounded inner child develops trust issues when its caretakers were unpredictable , out of control , or untrustworthy . When we couldn ’ t trust our parents to meet our emotional , psychological or physical needs , a sense of endangerment developed within us . When our parents exhibited behaviors that revealed how little they trusted themselves or the world , we learned to be obsessively on-guard . To defend ourselves against the pain and fear , the inner child learned to try and control everything as a way of keeping us safe . Unfortunately , controlling behavior tends to alienate the people around us which causes us to become increasingly isolated and feel even more untrusting towards ourselves and the world .