8 Signs of Childhood Emotional Neglect

Summary

This video from Psych2Go explores emotional childhood neglect and its impact on adult behavior. It highlights eight key signs, such as bottling emotions, putting others first, low self-esteem, and struggling to identify emotions. The video emphasizes that emotional neglect can lead to harmful behaviors in adulthood, like difficulty managing emotions or fearing dependency. Viewers are encouraged to seek professional help if they relate to these signs. The video aims to educate about emotional health and offers resources for those affected by neglect, including links to child abuse hotlines.

Takeaways

• 😊 Psych2Go aims to help people learn about psychology and mental health in a simple and accessible way.
• 😔 Emotional childhood neglect can result in lasting negative behaviors that carry over into adulthood.
• 🤐 Bottling up emotions is a common sign of emotional neglect, often stemming from fear of conflict or invalidation.
• 🤲 Putting others first and neglecting personal needs can be a harmful habit formed from emotional neglect during childhood.
• 🤔 Difficulty in identifying or understanding emotions can arise when emotional needs are neglected in childhood.
• 💔 Feeling 'broken' or disconnected from emotions can result from not learning how to manage or express them.
• 🧐 Being overly hard on oneself and striving for perfection may stem from an inability to handle failure due to past neglect.
• 🙅‍♀️ A fear of dependency or asking for help can develop from emotional neglect, creating challenges in collaboration and teamwork.
• 😓 Low self-esteem and constant comparison to others can result from emotional neglect, making it hard to recognize personal worth.
• 😶 Emotional neglect can leave a person feeling 'empty' inside, struggling to manage or even identify their emotions.

Q & A

What is the main focus of Psych2Go's video?

The video focuses on understanding emotional childhood neglect and identifying eight signs that may indicate its presence.

How can emotional childhood neglect impact someone in adulthood?

Emotional childhood neglect can lead to various negative behaviors in adulthood, such as difficulty expressing emotions, putting others' needs first, low self-esteem, and struggling with dependency.

What is one major sign of emotional childhood neglect mentioned in the video?

One major sign is bottling up emotions, where individuals may hide their feelings to avoid conflict or fear negative consequences.

Why might someone who experienced emotional neglect struggle to prioritize their own needs?

If a person grew up learning that their emotions were invalid or insignificant, they might develop the habit of neglecting their own needs to focus on others, which can harm their mental well-being over time.

How does emotional neglect affect a person’s ability to identify their feelings?

Emotional neglect in childhood can result in difficulty identifying feelings because the person may have learned to suppress or ignore their emotions, making it challenging to understand their own emotional state.

What are the potential consequences of not being able to express emotions properly?

Inability to express emotions can lead to feelings of alienation, mental health struggles, and challenges in forming healthy relationships due to a lack of emotional regulation skills.

Why might someone with emotional childhood neglect fear dependency?

They may have been reprimanded or scolded for asking for help in the past, leading to a fear of dependency and a preference to handle everything on their own, even when they need assistance.

How can emotional neglect contribute to low self-esteem?

Emotional neglect may cause someone to grow up constantly comparing themselves to others or feeling invalidated, resulting in low self-worth and a sense of competition or inadequacy.

What resources are recommended in the video for those experiencing emotional neglect or abuse?

The video recommends reaching out to the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline and encourages seeking help from qualified mental health professionals for those dealing with emotional neglect.

What is the key message of the video regarding emotional neglect?

The key message is that emotional neglect is a serious issue with lasting effects, but resources and support are available to help individuals understand and address their emotional health.

Outlines

00:00

👋 Introduction and the Importance of Emotional Needs

The instructor welcomes viewers and thanks them for supporting Psych2Go's mission to educate about psychology and mental health in a simple way. The video explores the concept of emotional childhood neglect, where a child's emotional needs are overlooked, leading to negative behaviors that persist into adulthood. The video aims to identify eight signs of emotional neglect while emphasizing that it is for educational purposes, not a substitute for professional help. The importance of recognizing emotional health and seeking assistance from mental health professionals is also stressed.

05:01

💭 Emotional Bottling: A Sign of Neglect

The video introduces the first sign of emotional childhood neglect: the tendency to bottle up emotions. Many children learn to hide their feelings to avoid conflict or because they were invalidated when expressing emotions. This habit can lead to significant mental health challenges later in life, as unaddressed emotions accumulate and create emotional stress.

🙇‍♀️ Prioritizing Others Over Yourself

The second sign discussed is the tendency to prioritize others' needs over one's own. Growing up in an environment where one's feelings are dismissed can cause a person to develop a pattern of self-neglect, focusing on making others happy at the expense of their own well-being. Over time, this behavior can be detrimental to mental health.

🤔 Difficulty Identifying Emotions

The third sign focuses on the struggle to identify emotions. Children whose emotional needs were neglected may find it hard to articulate their feelings, often suppressing or ignoring them due to a lack of emotional validation during their upbringing. This can impair decision-making as it becomes difficult to navigate situations without understanding one’s emotional state.

💔 Feeling Broken or Disconnected

The fourth sign is feeling broken or disconnected. Emotions play a crucial role in shaping how individuals view themselves and interact with the world. When emotions are neglected, a person might feel isolated, alienated, or inherently flawed, leading to a sense of disconnection from their true self and others around them.

🔍 Perfectionism and Self-Criticism

The fifth sign covers the tendency to be overly critical of oneself. Emotional neglect in childhood can result in perfectionist tendencies, fear of failure, and a heightened sensitivity to rejection. Without a healthy way to cope with imperfection, individuals may develop unrealistic standards and struggle with self-worth.

🙅‍♀️ Fear of Dependency

The sixth sign discusses the fear of dependency. Those who have experienced emotional neglect may find it difficult to ask for help, often perceiving it as a sign of weakness or a source of conflict. This fear stems from past experiences where asking for support was met with negative consequences, making it hard to rely on others in adulthood.

😔 Low Self-Esteem

The seventh sign addresses low self-esteem. Emotional neglect can result in individuals constantly comparing themselves to others, viewing everyone as competition, which fosters isolation and a poor self-image. Without the validation of their emotions, it can become difficult for individuals to recognize their worth, leading to long-term self-esteem issues.

😶 Feeling Emotionally Empty

The eighth and final sign is feeling emotionally empty. Emotional neglect can impede one's ability to understand or regulate emotions, causing feelings of helplessness and confusion. Without learning essential emotional skills during childhood, managing emotions in adulthood can become overwhelming, making daily functioning difficult.

🛠 Resources and Seeking Help

The video concludes with a message of hope, encouraging viewers who have experienced emotional neglect or know someone who has to seek help. Resources like the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline are available to support those affected. The importance of validating one's feelings and accessing available resources is emphasized. Viewers are encouraged to share the video, subscribe to the channel, and find the references used in the description.

Keywords

💡Emotional Childhood Neglect

Emotional childhood neglect refers to the failure of parents or caregivers to meet a child's emotional needs, such as validation, care, and support. In the video, it is identified as a key cause of certain negative behaviors in adulthood, such as difficulty managing emotions, low self-esteem, and a feeling of emptiness. The video explores how this neglect can have lasting effects on mental health.

💡Bottling Emotions

Bottling emotions refers to the act of suppressing or hiding one’s feelings, often due to fear of conflict or invalidation. The video highlights this as one of the signs of emotional neglect, where individuals learn to keep their emotions hidden rather than expressing them. This can lead to mental health issues, such as stress and anxiety, later in life.

💡Putting Others First

Putting others first means prioritizing the needs and happiness of others over one’s own well-being. The video explains how individuals who have experienced emotional neglect often develop this habit, neglecting their own needs in order to please others. Over time, this behavior can negatively affect their mental health and sense of self-worth.

💡Struggling to Identify Emotions

Struggling to identify emotions is the difficulty in recognizing and understanding one's own feelings. The video suggests that this is a common result of emotional childhood neglect, where a person may have been taught to ignore or dismiss their emotions. This lack of emotional awareness can make decision-making and navigating personal relationships more challenging.

💡Low Self-Esteem

Low self-esteem is a negative perception of oneself, often characterized by feelings of inadequacy or unworthiness. The video mentions how emotional neglect during childhood can lead to low self-esteem, as individuals may have been pitted against others or never had their emotions validated. This can result in a constant comparison with others and a diminished sense of self-worth.

💡Fear of Dependency

Fear of dependency refers to the reluctance or discomfort in asking for help or relying on others. The video explains that people who have experienced emotional neglect may develop a fear of seeking support because they were scolded or invalidated when they asked for help in the past. This fear can prevent healthy collaboration and support-seeking in adulthood.

💡Feeling Broken

Feeling broken is a term used in the video to describe a sense of being flawed or incomplete, often resulting from emotional neglect. People may feel like something is wrong with them because they are disconnected from their emotions or lack the skills to express and manage their feelings. This sense of brokenness can lead to feelings of alienation and helplessness.

💡Perfectionism

Perfectionism is the tendency to strive for flawlessness and to be overly critical of mistakes. The video identifies this trait as another sign of emotional neglect, where individuals may develop unrealistic expectations for themselves out of a fear of rejection. This can lead to stress and an inability to cope with failure or imperfections.

💡Feeling Empty

Feeling empty refers to a sense of emotional numbness or a lack of fulfillment. According to the video, people who have experienced emotional childhood neglect often struggle with this feeling because they were never taught how to properly regulate or express their emotions. This emotional void can make daily functioning difficult and lead to a lack of motivation.

💡Emotional Regulation

Emotional regulation is the ability to manage and respond to one's emotions in a healthy way. The video explains that emotional neglect during childhood can hinder the development of this crucial skill, making it difficult for individuals to cope with their feelings in adulthood. The lack of emotional regulation can lead to issues like impulsivity, anxiety, or depression.

Highlights

Psych2Go's mission is to help everyone learn about psychology and mental health in a digestible manner.

Children have emotional needs just as important as other necessities, like food and clothing.

Emotional childhood neglect can lead to negative behaviors that follow into adulthood.

One of the biggest signs of emotional neglect is the inability to identify, manage, and express emotions.

Bottling up emotions due to fear of conflict may take a toll on mental health later in life.

People who have experienced emotional neglect often put others' needs ahead of their own.

Emotional neglect can lead to difficulty identifying how you feel, which can affect decision-making.

Those who experienced emotional neglect as children may feel broken or that their emotions are out of control.

Growing up without emotional validation can result in perfectionism and fear of rejection.

A fear of dependency can develop, making it hard to ask for help, even when it's necessary.

Emotional neglect can result in low self-esteem and a tendency to constantly compare oneself to others.

A sense of emptiness inside is common, and regulating emotions becomes difficult for those neglected emotionally in childhood.

Psych2Go emphasizes that emotional childhood neglect can make everyday functioning difficult but assures that help is available.

The video encourages those experiencing emotional neglect or abuse to reach out to resources like the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline.

The video is for educational purposes only and not intended to substitute a professional diagnosis.

Transcripts

- [Instructor] Hey, Psych2Goers,

welcome back to another video.

First of all, we would like to thank you

for all the support you've given us.

Psych2Go's mission is to help everyone

learn about psychology and mental health

in a digestible manner.

Now, back to the video.

Do you have difficulty identifying how you feel?

Have you been prioritizing everyone else's needs

before your own?

Some of these negative behaviors may have been developed

from your childhood experiences,

particularly from emotional childhood neglect.

Children have emotional needs just as important

as other necessities, like food and clothing.

When a parent neglects these needs,

their children may develop certain negative behaviors

that follow them into adulthood.

So to help you better understand

your emotional health and development,

we've made this video

to look at eight signs of emotional childhood neglect.

Before we begin, we would like to mention

that this video is created for educational purposes only,

and is not intended to substitute a professional diagnosis.

If you're struggling with emotional childhood neglect

or any mental health condition, we highly advise you

to seek help from a qualified mental health professional.

If you suspect you or someone you know is a victim of abuse,

please contact the childhood abuse hotline.

The link will be in the description below.

Please note that everyone is affected differently.

Some people may relate to all,

some or different signs than what's on this list.

Number one, you bottle your emotions.

Did you learn to keep your emotions hidden

in fear that it'll lead to conflict?

One of the biggest signs of emotional neglect

is the inability to identify,

manage and express your emotions.

Depending on your situation,

you may not have been allowed to express how you feel

or have been reprimanded or invalidated

for feeling a certain way.

This can be problematic later in life,

as keeping important emotions bottled up

may take a toll on your mental health.

Number two, you put others first.

Do you feel that your needs always come second to others?

Maybe it seems as if you always have to make sure

everyone else is happy,

even if it means you have to settle for less.

If you grew up learning that your feelings are invalid,

it's easy to start neglecting yourself.

This habit to please others at your own expense

can over time become very harmful to your mental wellbeing.

Number three, you struggle to identify your emotions.

Do you find it difficult to respond

when someone asks you how you feel?

If you grew up in a household,

when your feelings were neglected by your family,

you may have been reinforced

to avoid thinking about how you feel

or believe that your feelings aren't important.

This can affect your decision-making ability,

since not knowing how you feel about certain ideas

in situations can make it much harder

to navigate through them.

Number four, you feel broken.

Do you feel like you lack importance

or that your emotions are out of control?

Emotions are important because they help guide you

to make decisions, formulate opinions

and influence how you interact with others.

When you're cut off from your emotions, it's easy to feel

that there's something inherently wrong with you.

When you don't have your feelings validated

and when you don't learn the necessary skills to identify,

manage, and express your emotions,

it's easy to feel alienated from everyone else.

Number five, you're hard on yourself.

Do you often get caught up in the little details

and prioritize perfection?

You may fear rejection far more than what it's worth.

And part of it may be due to your childhood experiences.

It's possible to not know the correct way

to handle failure and imperfection

simply because you haven't been offered

a healthy way to learn those skills.

Number six, you fear dependency.

Do you find it difficult to ask for help

when you really need it?

If your emotional needs have been neglected,

you may feel that asking for help is a source of conflict.

In the past, you may have been scolded for asking for help,

and so you find it difficult in the present to do so.

It may seem easier to simply do it yourself,

however, this fear of dependency

may take away your ability to collaborate with others.

Number seven, you lack self-esteem.

Do you always compare yourself to others?

Having your emotional needs neglected

may lead to serious consequences

regarding how you perceive yourself.

You may have grown up in situations

where you're constantly pitted up against others.

This may result in a tendency

to see everyone else as competition,

which may lead to feelings of isolation

as well as low self-esteem.

In any case, if your feelings have been neglected,

it can be difficult to know that your worth.

Number eight, you're empty on the inside.

Can you identify or manage how you feel?

Being able to regulate your emotions

is a highly important learned skill.

It's easy to feel helpless if you've been in situations

where you weren't allowed to develop these skills.

You may not be sure how to manage your emotions

or what to feel and when,

these are troubling feelings

that can make everyday functioning difficult.

Emotional neglect and childhood can make it difficult

to regulate and express our emotions later on.

Fortunately, there's always help available.

If you are a child or know of one

experiencing any kind of neglect,

know that your feelings and struggles are valid,

and that resources are available.

The Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline

is a great resource to reach out to,

and we've added the link to it in the description below.

If you find this video insightful,

like and share this with others who may find it useful too.

Don't forget to hit the subscribe button

and the notification bell icon to get notified

whenever Psych2Go posts a new video.

All the references used

are also added in the description box below.

Thank you for watching and we'll see you in our next video.