Home | Agoraphobia Causes
The agoraphobic, or high-anxious personality just described isn't all genetic. Some of it stems from a person’s family environment. The following elements or occurences within an individual’s family contribute to the development of a high-anxious personality: Parent who models anxiety Role modeling by a parent can have a powerful influence on a child. If one or both parents model high-anxious personality traits, the child is likely to develop them. Critical parent Children with overly critical parents who place unrealistic expectations on them are more likely to become perfectionists. That’s because children are prone to internalizing (or taking on as their own) the expectations of significant adults in their lives. Once expectations are internalized, they can continue into a person’s adult life. Many adults, whether they know it or not, are still striving to meet the expectations their parents set for them as children. Overprotective parent Overprotective parents shield their children from life's hardships, acting as if their children couldn't handle life on their own. Overprotection on the part of the parent teaches a child that taking risks in life is too dangerous and that risks should be avoided. It also teaches the child that he or she is fragile and not equipped to face challenges independently. As a result, children of overprotective parents are likely to fear taking risks and feel anxiety and uncertainty about themselves when faced with challenges. Approval based on peformance Parents who give approval based on performance only show approval for their child when he or she does something that pleases them. This type of parent does not make a clear distinction between what the child does and the child's worth as a person. Children with parents who base approval on performance may also grow up failing to make this critical distinction. They may feel they must always perform well to be a valuable person. This will undoubtedly lead to the anxiety that comes from always having to achieve something to maintain a sense of worth. Parents who base approval on performance and also hold perfectionistic standards do their children an even greater disservice. Not only do their children learn that they have to perform well to be loved, they learn that they must perform perfectly. When a child feels like his or her worth is riding on being perfect, this can lead to a lot of performance anxiety. It can also lead to the fear of losing the love and approval of significant others. Rigid family rules Children who grow up in families with overly strict rules tend to become black-and-white thinkers. As adults, they may end up creating their own set of rigid rules about the way things "should" be and experience undue anxiety when these standards are not met. Rigid belief systems Children who grow up in families that hold rigid belief systems also tend to become black-and-white thinkers because parents with rigid beliefs usually model this type of thinking. Suppression of feelings When children grow up in families where they are taught that it is not okay to express feelings (like being told not to cry or not to feel a certain way), they can become prone to holding their feelings in as adults. Parents may teach a child that it is not okay to express feelings in several ways: 1) by telling the child directly not to feel a certain way, 2) by ignoring the child's feelings, or 3) by reacting with violence or anger when the child expresses feelings. Children with parents who teach that it is not okay to express emotions tend to become adults with pent up emotions, putting them at risk for anxiety and panic. Alcoholism, physical abuse, or emotional abuse Children from homes with alcoholism or abuse may develop anxiety that comes from having an unstable emotional environment. They are more likely to be emotionally unstable as adults and are more prone to anxiety disorders like agoraphobia. Separation from parents Children who are separated from their parents for long periods of time without knowing why often develop anxiety over separation and loss. This may happen if a parent is sick or in the hospital for a long time, goes on long business trips, ignores the child for long periods, gets divorced, or dies. Having to play the parent role too early Children who are forced into the parent role with younger siblings at an early age because of a parent being sick, busy, or absent may develop a rigid set of rules for themselves in order to survive. This is a coping mechanism for having adult responsibilties before they are developmentally prepared to handle them. In adulthood, this can lead to many of the high-anxious or agoraphobic personality traits such as black-and-white thinking, a high need for control, perfectionism, and unrealistic expectations. The elements or occurrences in the family environment just discussed do not cause high-anxious personalities in all cases, nor do they always produce an agoraphobic. However, the more of these factors a person experiences early in life, the more likely they are to develop personality traits that set the stage for agoraphobia.
Article Source: http://www.agoraphobia.net
Stephen Price is a recovered agoraphobic with a master’s degree in psychology. His informational website on agoraphobia featuring a free newsletter can be found at: www.agoraphobia.ws
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