A Guide to Understanding Emotionally Immature Parents

If you've landed on this page, something probably doesn't feel quite right in your relationship with one or more of your parents. Being an adult child of emotionally immature parents (a term coined by clinical psychologist Dr. Lindsay Gibson) can significantly affect our mental health and ability to establish healthy relationships in our adult life. If we have that type of parent we may struggle with personal boundaries, accessing our deeper feelings, lack empathy for other people’s needs, struggle to engage in emotional intimacy or romantic relationships, show sensitivity to rejection, lack self compassion, are unable to take good care of our physical needs, and more. Let's explore the characteristics of emotionally immature parents and how they affect you both in childhood and adulthood.