Why do people Revert to Childlike behaviours when faced with Conflict.
We had earlier made a post on regression, a Defense Mechanism where we revert to a behaviours or emotional responses associated with an earlier stage of development to cope with a present distressing emotions.
This is often unconscious, ie; the individual isn’t aware that he/she’s returning to a behaviour associated with his/her past.
We have probably been in a situation where an adult starts to throw tantrums especially when angry.
Or that parent who slams a door out of frustration.
That individual who starts overeating when stressed or lonely
or one verbally abuses an individual who expresses an opinion that is different from his own.
That professional colleague who storms out of a meeting abruptly due to stress faced name them.
Reason?
1. To cope with anxiety arousing events or experiences.
2. To avoid uncomfortable feelings such as of loneliness and experiences. They help soothe us.
3. To deal with a situation we might not have been prepared to deal with.
4. To provide us a sense of safety and security.