Over-Responsibility is another pattern we learned in childhood. As young children, we would see Mom or Dad get angry, anxious, or sad, and instantly assume it was our fault. When we are very young, we are unable to understand that others are separate people, with their own experiences, feelings, and desires. This capacity doesn’t come online until we’re older, but by then we may have already made some strong decisions. We figure out the best way to respond when we “make Dad angry” or “make Mom anxious.” We might decide to hide, approach, console, hug, act out, try to be funny, or become
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