Episode 21: Emotionally immature parents with Dr. Lindsay Gibson

How we are raised and who raises us is one of the greatest influences on our lives. Some of us easily find faults in our parents or wish they had shown up in different ways. For others of us, we hold our parents in high esteem and believe they did a great job. But none of us had perfect parents.
It can be hard to admit that our parents may have fallen short at times and it can be even harder to examine how this may have impacted us. It all left an imprint on our lives.
In this episode, we talk with Dr. Lindsay Gibson about emotionally immature parents. We discuss things such as black and white thinking, moral obligation, a low tolerance for stress, and pressuring other people to meet one’s own needs. She describes four different types of parents—emotional, driven, passive, and rejecting—and how they impact us as children.
Dr. Lindsay also discusses what we can do with this information and how we can improve our relationships with our parents and our own children. This is a really insightful episode that will help you look at the generational effects of your family’s emotional well-being.
Key takeaways

• A little about herself and the work she’s doing
• Ways parents influence their children
• What is meant by emotionally immature parents
• What affective realism is
• Four different types of parents
• How emotionally immature parents can affect their children’s boundaries
• What narcissistic personality disorder is
• How children should communicate with emotionally immature parents
• How to be a relationship leader
• How to teach your parents what your values are
• How children of emotionally immature parents should reconnect with their true selves
• Last thoughts she wants to share with the listeners

Books

• Who You Were Meant to Be: A Guide to Finding or Recovering Your Life’s Purpose by Lindsay C. Gibson - https://www.amazon.com/Who-You-Were-Meant-Recovering-ebook/dp/B01HLN6M78
• Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents: How to Heal from Distant, Rejecting, or Self-Involved Parents by Lindsay C. Gibson - https://www.amazon.com/Adult-Children-Emotionally-Immature-Parents/dp/1626251703

Dr. Lindsay Gibson Bio:
Lindsay C. Gibson holds both a Master’s and Doctoral Degree in clinical psychology. She has been a psychodiagnostician and psychotherapist for over thirty years, working in both public and private practice. In the past, Dr. Gibson has served as an Adjunct Assistant Professor for the Virginia Consortium Program for Clinical Psychology, teaching doctoral students clinical theory and psychotherapeutic techniques.
Dr. Gibson is the author of three books, Who You Were Meant to Be, Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents, and Recovering from Emotionally Immature Parents. She has also written a monthly column on Well-Being for Tidewater Women magazine (www.tidewaterwomen.com) for over twenty years. Dr. Gibson lives and works in Virginia Beach, Virginia.