Dr. Lindsay Gibson joins me to explore emotional immaturity, the consequences of growing up with emotionally immature caregivers, and what we can do to change those patterns in adulthood. We discuss the key signs of emotional immaturity, including egocentrism, low empathy, and affective realism, and how having an emotionally immature parent affects children. Dr. Gibson then explains how these patterns show up in adult life before talking about how to heal in adulthood by reconnecting with your feelings, letting go of old fantasies, and setting healthy boundaries. Other topics include estrangement, balancing competing desires, and the problems with “just be more compassionate."
About our Guest: Dr. Lindsay Gibson is a clinical psychologist and the author of the Emotional Immaturity series of books, including her bestseller Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents.
Key Topics:
0:00 Introduction
1:05 How Dr. Gibson defines emotional immaturity
7:00 Markers of emotional immaturity in parents
11:30 Emotional intelligence in children, loneliness, and regulating parents
19:10 The arc of recovery, responding to feelings with thoughts, and healthy guidance
32:00 Repeating patterns in relationships
37:40 Letting go of the healing fantasy, and when to take space
45:55 Estrangement, compassion, boundary setting, and becoming more authentic
1:01:10 When healthy change creates social pressure
1:04:30 Common misconceptions about emotional immaturity
1:09:00 Recap
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Who Am I: I'm Forrest, the co-author of Resilient (https://amzn.to/3iXLerD) and host of the Being Well Podcast (https://apple.co/38ufGG0). I'm making videos focused on simplifying psychology, mental health, and personal growth.
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