"Emotional neglect is defined less by what happened and more by what did not happen. Specifically, it refers to the absence of consistent emotional attunement between parent and child."
"Parenting research often distinguishes between caregiving and emotional attunement. Caregiving involves meeting a child's physical and logistical needs, while attunement involves recognizing and responding to a child's internal emotional world."
"Developmental psychologist Edward Tronick demonstrated the importance of this connection in his famous 'still face experiment.' Infants became distressed when their mothers adopted a neutral, unresponsive expression, highlighting the need for emotional engagement."
Emotional neglect can exist even in families that appear healthy. It is characterized by a lack of emotional attunement between parent and child, rather than overt mistreatment. Many adults report feelings of emotional distance and unmet needs despite having had seemingly good childhoods. Caregiving meets physical needs, while emotional attunement involves recognizing and responding to a child's emotional state. Research shows that even well-intentioned parents can fail to provide this crucial emotional connection, leading to lasting impacts on their children.
Read at Psychology Today
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