Her mother was carrying out an ‘emotional takeover’ – when an emotionally immature parent induces emotions that help control a child for their own benefit.
My books on how adult children can best deal with their emotionally immature parents have sold more than a million copies and appeared on bestseller lists worldwide.
Role reversal is also a hallmark of emotionally immature parenting, with parents treating the child as if they are the parent, expecting comfort or someone to confide in.
While no official clinical diagnosis exists to identify ‘emotionally immature’ parents, my insights have clearly hit home.
This is often the psychological legacy for children who grow up with ‘emotionally immature parents’.
