Many people who experienced childhood emotional neglect struggle to receive love and care (Photo: iStock)
Some people want closeness but fear being loved. Consultant psychologist James Bosse says those kinds of people associate intimacy with pain and rejection and fear emotional exposure because they believe it may lead to disappointment or loss of control.
He says that love needs emotional risk, something that not everyone feels safe taking.
James explains that traumatic psychological experiences, such as childhood neglect, betrayal, emotional abuse, bullying, humiliation, abandonment, toxic relationships and growing up in unpredictable environments, can make affection feel unsafe or overwhelming later in life.
“Many people who experienced childhood emotional neglect struggle to receive love and care, as they don’t believe they deserve it. They can be uncomfortable or suspicious when someone praises or validates them since they did not grow up experiencing healthy affection,” he says.
