Exploring Core Emotional Wounds and Compensatory Behaviors

Core emotional wounds are psychic injuries inflicted in the context of one's primary attachment relationships. That means that they are generally formed in relationship with one's parents in childhood. These wounds come in two general flavors: "I'm not good enough" and "I'm not lovable." The pain of these wounds can distort the lens of subjectivity, such that one's very perceptions of oneself, other people, and the world become distorted. And, if unaddressed, they can give rise to a host of compensatory behaviors designed to "bargain" with the world for what they did not receive in appropriate quantities when they were younger.

#attachment #cognition #psychology