6 Signs of Childhood Emotional Neglect in a Partner or Friend
Once you see the signs , you can take special steps with your loved one .
KEY POINTS
• Those who grew up in emotionally neglectful homes show certain characteristics that affect friendships and relationships .
• Most emotionally neglected people are very giving and caring , but they ' re not great at self-disclosure or dealing with conflict .
• A person who sees the emotional neglect in someone else can treat them slightly differently to draw them out and counter their childhood neglect .
If you ’ ve seen Disney ’ s film Encanto , you most likely remember how important the family house , Casita , was to the storyline . Casita ’ s foundation was cracking and each family member felt the impact in different ways . Without a solid base , relationships were rupturing and each individual within the home felt as if something very important was missing from their lives . The more these cracks were ignored , the more prominent and disruptive things grew .
Just like the film suggested , think of a house ’ s foundation as where you come from . Your foundation includes your
childhood , your family values and ideals , and how you were treated and taught to operate in the world .
Below are some examples of people who have cracks in their foundations :
• Lauren and Rachel are good friends and have known one another for years . Lauren feels like she can go to her friend for advice and often remarks on how Rachel is such a good listener . But recently , Lauren has noticed she shares quite a bit more than Rachel and actually doesn ’ t know much about Rachel ’ s personal life . She begins to question their
friendship .