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It is often assumed that women are the only ones who can have daddy issues. But the fact is, both men and women can be affected by parental issues, depending on their experiences with either parent.
Young boys naturally have the innate need to be accepted, validated and encouraged by adult male role models, ideally in the form of father figures. Unfortunately, life doesn’t always work out that way so, many boys at some point will experience a broken relationship with their dads and lose the sense of security needed to navigate the challenges of growing into adulthood.
Unpacking daddy issues in relationship and men's emotional struggles
Men with daddy issues may feel like they're not good enough and lack self-confidence. You don’t even need to have had a specifically problematic relationship with your father to develop these issues. Sometimes, the absence of a fatherly figure in their lives is enough to trigger such challenges. Shockingly, statistics show that men with daddy issues are more than twice as likely to contemplate suicide and are four times more likely to experience a life of poverty.
Can daddy issues affect men in their relationships as well? Of course, they can, and there are some ways to identify these not-so-subtle signs.
The ripple effect of men with daddy issues in a relationship
The signs are not one-size-fits-all, as everyone's experience is unique, but these are generally some of the common signs of daddy issues in men. They include being overly clingy, wanting sex all the time, fear of being alone, being irresponsible and disrespectful, fearing commitment, emotional detachment, control tendencies, and defensiveness.
Men who grew up without the love and attention of a father are far more likely to be emotionally manipulative and controlling. They may also develop severe anxiety and depression, which could affect your own mental well-being too if you’re in a relationship with a man dealing with such trauma. These men tend to engage in self-sabotage towards their relationships, hold grudges, and harbour resentment against their partner, projecting their own unhappiness.
These men tend to blame their partners their partners for their own negative emotions and unhappiness which can be emotionally draining.
A man who has felt abandonment, or lacked attention from his father during childhood is likely to seek that validation and attention from their partner. This can go too far, leaving their partner feeling irritated at the constant need from the partner to know where they are, and what they are doing. It’s common for excessive interest in sex to be an issue, leaving the partner feeling as though they are unable to meet the needs of their male partner, forming new emotional stress that had not existed previously.
In conclusion,
Society often portrays men as strong and invulnerable, but they have emotions and needs too. Taking care of their emotional well-being is important. Men with strained relationships with their fathers do not make them less of a man.
They deserve a chance to heal and understand they're loved, respected, and admired, regardless of whether they meet their father's expectations or societal standards.