Emotional Dependence
[Name of the Writer]
[Name of the Institution]
Emotional Dependence
Part I: Critical Analysis Process Questionnaire
Describe your topic in one sentence? (be specific and narrow down)
The refusal or reluctance to emotionally accept the adult role is known as emotional dependence.
Why did you select this topic?
The reason why I choose to analyze this topic critically is because it is becoming a concern in most of our societies as children and adult become emotionally dependent. Most of the children at an early age or adults for that fact do not get enough attention or love, which is why they have to depend on someone emotionally to feel cared for or important.
What have you heard about this topic that prompted your interest in it?
I have heard that there has been a recent and substantial rise in troubled children or adults in the appointments for psychotherapists. Moreover, there are some great articles based on emotional dependency that is becoming to catch some real attention and is the reason why it prompted my interest in this topic to start with.
How much time have you invested in formally researching this topic before?
I have invested much of my time researching my topic and finding useful information for me to analyze for my final documentation critically. I have taken most of my time from all my semesters into searching and reading different issues on this topic.
What do you intend to prove, or argue with support in your paper?
What I want to prove or argue with support in my paper is that children should become emotionally independent so that they can stay safe and secure from the hurdles they may face in practical life when they grow up.
Clearly state the argument and counter argument you will contrast in your paper?
The argument which I want to identify in my paper is that children should be given importance, appreciation, and love in their early childhood. However, being overprotective about children may lead them to become emotional dependant. The counter-argument to why becoming emotional independent is somewhat significant is so that children may have their own identity in the future and can be prepared to face any hurdle without looking at their parents for support.
How can you prove or support your argument in the best way possible?
I want to prove and support my argument by analyzing the current scenario that is revolving around our societies. The children and adult in our communities are troubled as they are either overprotected in childhood or left isolated which makes them emotionally dependant on someone.
What social and cultural influences may have influenced your point-of-view about this topic?
The social and cultural influences which influenced my point-of-view about this topic would rather be my own life as an example. I have seen a culture where my parents have been unsupportive and unappreciative for my efforts in life, which made me look for emotional dependency.
Do you have have a pre-disposition towards this topic already? (i.e. existing attitudes, beliefs, opinions?) if so, state that belief in one sentence.
Yes, I do have a predisposition towards this topic as I believe that every child should feel and get emotional dependence so that they can become a useful part of the community.
If you have an existing point-of-view on your topic, how did you reach the conclusion that you already have?
My existing point-of-view on this topic is the same argument which I intend to critically analyze. This helped me conclude my essay.
What people may have influenced your opinion of this subject?
The stereotypes in my society and my life with my parents have influenced my opinion on this subject.
What experience do you have in connection with this topic?
My own life and the research I did throughout my semesters provided me with enough experience in connection with this topic.
Have you ever studied the best arguments on all sides of this issue?
Yes, I have implicitly studied the best arguments on all sides of this issue and realized that not all sides are right, but the side that helps develop an emotional attachment to one's life is preferably a more important side to discuss.
What may be the strongest part of one side of argument?
The strongest part of the side which I argued in my essay is the one which defines emotional dependence as rather a subject issue. It focuses on the welfare aspect of a child's development and helps them become aware of the real problems faced in life. Too much dependency may lead to uncertainty and adults should be more emotionally independent to care for the more important people in their life.
What is the strongest part of the other side of argument?
The strongest part of the other side of the argument is that too much emotional dependence may develop self-esteem issues — moreover, addictive relationships which may cause damage to life in a longer run. There might also be rebellion, inability to cooperate, and passive aggression in all sorts of relationships.
Are you making an objective or subjective claim on your topic?
I intend to make an objective claim in my critical analysis essay as there are many factual matters which exist to support the argument I made in my essay. My personal life apart from the sources which I provide is evidence for an objective claim to my topic.
Are you making a deductive or inductive argument?
I am making a deductive argument in my essay by providing a guarantee for my conclusion. It would be expressed through strong support and premises that states the nature of the argument.
Part II: Critical Analysis Documentation
Introduction
Emotional dependence can simply be stated as a complex condition where one cannot comfortably live without another person. Children with too much emotional dependence for their parents develop fear and uncertainty when becoming independent eventually. There are three major types of emotional dependence (Carrasco, Suarez, & Gonzalez-Calderon, 2018). The first one is the family in which children grow fearful of separation. They also have difficulty in accepting someone in their life other than their family as they see everything as a threat. The second is the couple that is found as an underlying issue in today's society. It is a harmful relationship in which one becomes inseparably dependent on another person, a partner in this case. It develops insecurity in the person and makes them feel so helpless and doubtful. The third and last one is the social environment in which the person wants appreciation and acceptance. An emotional dependent person on the social environment frequently tries to overexert themselves to achieve approval. These people can not face confrontation and rejection as it is the worst thing that can happen to them. All of these major types of emotional dependence are an issue. It limits a person’s self-capability and self-esteem while being dependant on others at all times. The discussion of this essay will critically analyze this issue by providing an argument.
Discussion
Identification
There are plenty of arguments which can be critically analyzed for the topic of emotional dependence. The first significant argument which supports one position is the person's ability to become emotionally independent but somewhat dependent. Both adults and children are booking appointments for psychotherapies due to the social instability they went through all there lives. Children are our societies are left emotionally dependent on their parents. They grow up being emotionally dependent on their partner, and then the social environment afterward. Children should be made emotionally independent so that they can learn the most fundamental aspects of life. Moreover, they should be given the appreciation and love they deserve in life which would evolve their self-esteem and make them more accepting of other people other than the one closest to them. Emotional dependence makes a person develop approval, affection, and attention from their partner or parent to an unhealthy degree where it either becomes irritating or destructive. Parents should try to differentiate between being overprotective and affectionate. Giving children the space they need is good but providing them with everything spoils them eventually. It leaves them unprepared to face obstacles in life alone and learn from mistakes. It is imperative for parents to understand the needs and wants of their children to experience their effective growth and child development (Ying et al. 2018).
Through different research and articles, there are cases in which females are more emotionally dependent than men in a relationship. It might be due to the human nature of a male being a dominant and care taker of the female which makes them more emotionally attached to their partner. However, too much emotional dependence leads to a destructive relationship. Females with too much emotional dependence on males require their love, approval, attention, and affection at all times. Otherwise, they tend to become lonely and isolated. They can not think of a life without their partner which makes them establish inappropriate bonds with others. What matters is the quality of relationship and not how important it is to sustain it. Irrespective of this argument, it is highly important for the male partner to make the emotionally dependent person realize the harmful factors of such a condition. Only a partner in a relationship can help the other person overcome their infidelities and acquire a real long lasting relationship. Emotional dependence influence psychological well-being to a considerable extent. It makes them become doubtful and irrational about their choices and own worthwhile having a negative influence on their self-esteem and emotions. This intense structure develops a cycle of emotional emptiness, depression, and chronic dissatisfaction for the emotionally dependent person in a relationship.
The apparent psychological compensation of an insecure person is damaged due to many self-esteem issues and other characteristics aspects required in the social environment. An emotionally dependent person often goes an extra mile to achieve approval from someone or to please the other person to a considerable extent. They can not feel rejected, and they are scared to face things which might be bothering them the most in life. This situation which is analyzed in a society is often damaging and requires a person to become emotionally independent and not to rely on someone else to get through life. However, if no one is there to support or help change the behavior of an emotionally disturbed partner or friend, they may transit towards fear and anxiety. Therefore, it is critically important for a parent or a partner to make sure that there loved one is provided with enough appreciation and acceptance which does not exceed the emotional dependency limit where they become dependent to them instead of learning to become independent (Elsey et al. 2016). This course of action requires a substantive focus and commitment. It can not lay short at any step as every aspect of evolving a person from dependency to independence needs substantive attention and time. The goal is to maintain a relationship that is persistent and requires balanced effort rather than one person making more effort than the other.
Rebuttal
The aforementioned arguments help state the best counter-arguments on the other side of the issue. It critically analyzes the three stages of emotional dependence through discussing the relationship that has with ones ability to derive such influence from an external origin. A child’s development which is more emotionally independent focused would help them build constructive skills in life. Parents would also feel less stressed with fulfilling the needs of their children as they would be preparing them to become more independent (Perrone, Vickers, & Jackson, 2015). Any externalities that parents may dismantle constraint as barriers to support or connect for children to correspond with others apart from family effectively. It would provide children with self-confidence and other useful traits. It would also prepare children to face significant challenges without being scared and confused. When children would know and understand how important it is for them to become independent, they would no longer feel the need to think parents as their shelter at every step in life. They would rather see themselves as shelter. Children would also stay clear from developing any unhealthy psychological situation. Parents should play the role of being responsible and caring through appreciating their children’s efforts and giving them the love they require in an early age so that they do not develop insecurities or seek for emotional dependency when they grow up.
The main problem in our communities apart from troubled children are troubled adults and couples who come for therapies for all sorts of psychological issues. Emotional dependence of the couple affects the psychological well-being of both partners. The argument mentioned above about the harm this type of relationship can inflict is considerable to some extent. It is critical that the male, who is considerably responsible in a relationship makes the women, their partner emotionally independent. It can be done by providing them with enough time and love in which they feel protective and secure. It would help the females come out of loneliness and other insecurities. It would also not make the partner feel so helpless at all times. Giving entitlement and appreciation would make the emotional dependent person more independent. Moreover, this would also encourage them towards making themselves as protective shields against fear or suffering rather than holding someone else as a protective shield. This would encourage a more self-dependent and long-lasting relationship rather than having one which causes great distress. Even if the emotionally independent person loses their partner for some reason, they can easily survive on there own. It would save the person from adopting any psychological illnesses that can affect their wellbeing. It would also make them stronger and prosperous in practical life through understanding and implementing the characteristics of an independent person.
Just like the counter-arguments presented above based on family and couple, the social environment deems a somehow relative approach. Emotional dependence on the social environment is similarly an important topic to talk about as it recognizes and approves different signs in our environment. People who are emotionally dependent seem to panic if things are not going there way. What has been critically analyzed so far is that all the emotionally dependent particulars urge for appreciation and acceptance at every stage because they did not get any in early childhood. When stepping into a social environment, making them more visible is an essential step towards making them more independent. It would allow them to achieve the apparent psychological compensation through determining the very factors which analyze their perspective based on certain things. They should not be allowed to overexert themselves but rather appreciated for the effort they are doing. It would allow them to face confrontation and rejection at an early stage in life (Kidd, 2016). Building self-confidence from dependencies would be more robust in the future as it would relinquish one from getting out of their comfort zone to achieve something. They would have to learn to walk alone and improve there self-esteem so that they may face the real hurdles of life professionally. All of these important steps are necessary to become emotionally independent.
Conclusion
The aforementioned critical analysis on the topic of emotional dependence helped contrast some major environmental and social issues facing our societies. Through searching for enough credible sources based on this topic, and through my personal experience, I have come to acknowledge the fact that being emotionally independent is rather an important part of life. A person who is emotionally dependent tends to develop certain insecurities along with self-esteem issues which are never good in the long run. Arguing on the fact that becoming emotionally independent is rather a substantive and critical approach for every child and adult. The essay helped explore the psychological advantages it can have on a person. It helped identify the philosophical intuition of a child who is emotionally dependent and that of a couple who are facing a specific crisis. Through identifying the real problems, the essay has helped differentiate and identify the steps that are useful in approaching an emotionally independent approach. This statement of my position on this issue from the above research helped me present the most real arguments with facts. These represented a more convincing approach towards adopting an emotionally independent life rather then self-inflicting harm through being emotionally dependent. Every person starting from a parent to a partner can help their loved ones becoming emotionally independent.
References
Carrasco, M., Suarez, J., & Gonzalez-Calderon, M. (2018). Does emotional dependence and perceived parental acceptance predict children's psychological maladjustment? Family Relations, 67(5), 660-674. doi:10.1111/fare.12338
Elsey, J., Crowley, M., Mencl, W., Lacadie, C., Mayes, L., & Potenza, M. (2016). Relationships between impulsivity, anxiety, and risk-taking and the neural correlates of attention in adolescents. Developmental Neuropsychology, 41(1-2), 38-58. doi:10.1080/87565641.2016.1167212
Kidd, I. (2016). Intellectual humility, confidence, and argumentation. Topoi : An International Review of Philosophy,35(2), 395-402. doi:10.1007/s11245-015-9324-5
Perrone, L., Vickers, M., & Jackson, D. (2015). Financial independence as an alternative to work. Employee Responsibilities and Rights Journal, 27(3), 195-211. doi:10.1007/s10672-015-9262-9
Ying, L., Zhou, H., Yu, S., Chen, C., Jia, X., Wang, Y., & Lin, C. (2018). Parent-child communication and self-esteem mediate the relationship between interparental conflict and children's depressive symptoms. Child: Care, Health and Development, 44(6), 908-915. doi:10.1111/cch.12610
