Building emotional connections is an important aspect of any relationship as it helps us form bonds with others. However, emotional expression can also lead to conflicts and emotional harm if not managed properly. It’s essential to avoid being too emotional, but it’s equally important to avoid emotional immaturity as it can be toxic to relationships. According to psychologist Nicole LePera, emotionally immature partners can make us feel helpless and confused. To help you identify such people, the expert has outlined a few signs in her Instagram post.
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According to Nicole LePera, emotionally immature partners can exhibit defensive and emotionally explosive behavior, lacking the ability to understand and process basic emotions like anger, resulting in blaming or shouting.
- Emotionally immature partners can shame their partners for their feelings and are uncomfortable with their emotions. When situations do not go as planned, emotionally immature partners can behave childishly by either shutting down completely or reacting.
- They perceive everything as a personal attack as they struggle with emotional depth and self-reflection.
- Emotionally immature partners tend to ignore problems, hoping they will go away without any effort. They often influence others to overlook the issue as well.
- They believe relationships should be easy and are ready to leave when there are disagreements.
- Emotionally immature partners often have a history of erratic or dysfunctional relationships and do not learn from the past, blaming others for their negative experiences and not acknowledging their role in them.
- They are obsessed with appearance and tend to act differently in front of their family and friends, trying to give the impression that everything is perfect.
The expert explained, “Our level of emotional immaturity is learned through the modelling we get as children." She added that emotionally mature people grow up in families where there is open communication, the capacity to mend fences after disputes, and personal responsibility.
However, even later in life, with proper guidance, every individual can strive to ‘develop the skills and emotional regulation to navigate life in new ways.’ Last, but not least, she mentioned that success in this journey solely depends on the individual’s willpower.