Haunting this conditional life are our psychic reflexes — the coping mechanisms developed for the traumas of childhood, which James Hollis divides into two basic categories: “the experience of neglect or abandonment” or “the experience of being overwhelmed by life,” each with its particular prognosis. The overwhelmed child may become a passive and accommodating adult prone to codependence, while the abandoned child may spend a lifetime in addictive patterns of attachment searching for a steadfast Other. These unconscious responses adopted by the inner child coalesce into a provisional adult personality still preoccupied with solving the emotional urgencies of early life.
Authors: James Hollis, Maria Popova
Source: The Marginalian (Brain Pickings)
Subject: Psychology | Behavior
Source: The Marginalian (Brain Pickings)
Subject: Psychology | Behavior
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