Most problems and mental disorders start in childhood, and the fear of abandonment is one of the psychological problems rooted in childhood. This period is the biggest contributor to the development of fear of abandonment, whether due to the loss of a parent due to divorce, death, or a lack of adequate physical or emotional care in childhood Fear of abandonment indicates a lasting sense of insecurity from the abandonment of others and can have an impact on the professional and personal life and marital relations, all of which may subsequently affect mental health.
Reasons for a person experiencing the problem of fear of abandonment:
The person is exposed to the fear of abandonment because of what he faced during childhood and the abnormal way in which he was treated by his parents, such as:
1. Don’t give the child an opportunity to express his or her feelings. 2. Making fun of the child. 3. Put pressure on the child to be perfect. 4. Treating the child as an adult. 5. Don’t treat the child warmly and safely.
These traumatic experiences during a child’s development often continue into adulthood, which is why the crisis of fear of abandonment becomes more pronounced with age and can strongly affect relationships.
Symptoms of fear of abandonment:
Symptoms vary from person to person depending on the nature of each individual’s life, but one of the most important is:
1. Excessive sensitivity to criticism. 2. Difficulty trusting others. 3. Difficulty in forming social relations. 4. Act in an extreme way to avoid rejection or separation. 5. Enter into unhealthy relationships. 6. Quickly attach to others and quickly abandon them. 7. Make an effort to make the other person happy, even if it will negatively affect him. 8. Severe self-flagellation when problems occur.
How to deal with the problem of fear of abandonment:
Fear of abandonment is not a diagnosed disease, but a psychological problem that affects an individual’s life in all aspects, so it must be dealt with and confronted to live a better life and engage in healthy relationships. These are some of the things that help overcome this problem:
1. Stop flogging it and fiercely criticising it. 2. Think about good traits and qualities that make an individual a good friend or husband. 3. Talk to others about the fear of abandoning them, and set expectations about their reaction to it. 4. Work to strengthen friendship bonds and support them to promote self-confidence and a sense of belonging. 5. If it does not improve despite following previous advice, a specialist psychiatrist should be consulted.
So, you can contact Dr. Mona Reda for all psychological counseling for better mental health.
