Emotional consequences of instability in the childhood environment
If a child grows up in an environment full of instability, then he could suffer the following emotional consequences.
The unstable environment in the children’s environment can have negative effects on the development of children because they do not feel that they are protected by their loved ones. Like adults, children need to be physically and emotionally safe in their environment to feel good . For them it is even more important since they are in full integral development.
Children generally thrive in a safe environment where they feel protected and loved. Inconsistent parenting can occur in a variety of situations, including illness or simply a lack of understanding about the importance of creating a stable home environment for children. If inconsistent parenting occurs, expect some common effects in children.
Next we are going to tell you about some of the emotional consequences that children can have when they grow up in an unstable environment. In this sense, parents must ensure that children can grow up in a stable environment, full of love, respect and trust.
Index
CONFUSION AND INSECURITY
When a child cannot predict how a parent will respond in a situation or the child does not know that a parent will be there to support and guide them, confusion and insecurity often ensue. The child who does not have this security realizes that he cannot trust and relies on his parents to meet his needs . If a daily routine lacks consistency, a child often feels confused and insecure because the schedule of activities such as meals, play, and bedtime will be different and unfamiliar each day.
FEAR AND ANXIETY
Parents who cannot raise their children with consistent expectations, rules, and consequences can create fear and anxiety in children. Lack of consistency about rules and consequences makes it difficult for children to know what is acceptable and what is unacceptable. This mystery often leads to fear and anxiety because a child does not know whether to expect praise or punishment for actions. A child can also expect a specific consequence of an action, but if it does not occur, the child becomes anxious due to confusion.
REBELLION
If inconsistent parenting continues over time, a child may develop ambivalent feelings toward the parent. Mistrust of broken promises and lack of follow through often engender rebellious behavior in the child. The child rejects the father and angrily pursues negative risk-taking behaviors designed to communicate pain, fear, and anger stemming from inconsistent parenting.
PARENTING
With inconsistency in the home environment, parenting often occurs . Parenting implies a reversal of the roles of a father and a child, with the child assuming the role of the parents in the care or care of the father, mother or siblings. A child may sacrifice his own needs in an attempt to meet the emotional needs of the parents or to play the role of the parents in the family. A distracted or emotionally estranged parent can lead a child to try to make up for it with parenting.
All these negative emotional consequences occur when a child has an unstable environment at home that makes him feel unsafe under different circumstances. By not feeling protected, you can have a hard time emotionally, but in an unconscious attempt to protect yourself, you will develop these consequences as emotional barriers and thus avoid that the instability of the environment ends up doing you more emotional damage than you have already suffered. As they grow up, they can become emotionally cold people or even develop an emotional disorder that requires psychological treatment to be able to carry out a good quality of life.
Dr. Tabriella Perivolaris, Sara's mother and fan of fashion, beauty, motherhood, among others, about the female universe. Since 2018 she has been working as a copywriter, always bringing to her articles a little of her experience and experience as a mother and woman.