This portion of the assessment focuses on how emotionally immature parenting can shape a child’s inner world and relational patterns over time. The statements below highlight common experiences—feeling unheard, dismissed, overly responsible for a parent’s emotions, or unable to express yourself safely. Check all that reflect your own experience.

As before, recognizing these patterns isn’t about blaming or condemning our caregivers. It’s about seeing clearly what was missing or misaligned so we can understand how it shaped us.

For many of us, the deepest wounds come not from dramatic events but from the quieter, everyday ways emotional immaturity shows up: not being listened to, feeling responsible for a parent’s moods, being dismissed, shamed, or shut down, or having no safe space for honest communication. These patterns can leave lasting imprints that shape how we relate to others for years to come.

To heal, we have to name what happened. We have to gently acknowledge the behaviors that made us feel unheard, unsafe, or unseen.

The statements below are meant to help you recognize whether these patterns existed in your home. They are not about blame — they are about truth and, from truth, embracing the possibility of healing.

For Further Reading

Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents

by Lindsay C. Gibson

In this breakthrough book, clinical psychologist Lindsay Gibson exposes the destructive nature of parents who are emotionally immature or unavailable.