Emotional detachment can be positive or negative. Negative detachment is caused by trauma and results in an inability to connect with others, while positive detachment allows for empathy without compromising personal boundaries. Negative detachment can be accompanied by anxiety and requires therapy.
Emotional detachment is a psychological term that can refer to positive or negative behavior. When emotional detachment is negative, it presents as an inability to truly connect with other human beings; this person may remain emotionally unavailable in all relationships, even though they are physically present in the relationship, which can lead to problems. The second type of detachment, which is positive psychological behavior, is the ability to recognize and empathize with the feelings of others without compromising one’s personal boundaries, emotions, or sense of self. The second practice is one that can be cultivated and improved and can be beneficial for relationships, while the first is usually harmful.
The first type of psychological emotional attachment can also be referred to as dissociation, depersonalization, or emotional numbing. It often occurs due to some sort of psychological trauma that has been experienced in the past after the individual has felt emotionally connected to another person. As a result of this trauma, the individual may, consciously or unconsciously, choose to protect themselves by refusing to allow a similar situation to occur. As a result, this person’s behavior in a relationship can be quite frustrating to others, including family members.
People with emotional detachment will often experience an inability to connect with others in relationships. This can make it difficult for them to empathize with others, share feelings, or appear emotionally engaged in conversations. They may appear to analyze situations intellectually and seem unable to share feelings. Some will practice avoidance techniques and may refuse to visit places where the trauma occurred or may not want to develop relationships. These symptoms are more common when emotional detachment is accompanied by some type of anxiety disorder; often, people attend therapy for help with this type of behavior.
It is important to remember that emotional detachment, when discussed as a positive personality trait, is in no way similar to the dissociative behavior discussed above. Instead, these people are able to emotionally engage, share emotions, and empathize with other people, but are able to do so on a level that is not harmful to themselves. This is sometimes referred to as mental assertiveness and is attributed to people with clear boundaries in the mind that they are able to maintain, even in stressful or highly emotional situations with others.
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