The media, and columnists in particular, often criticize the roles of teachers, healthcare professionals, and parents in some way. After all, what else are they going to do? Sure, all these areas play some part in our development, and while it may be helpful to debate the state of things, one would hope that the readers (including you) would add a pinch of salt and digest slowly what’s said. With that in mind, consider that parenting does play a role in an individual’s ability to self-actualize and transition to adulthood with self-confidence. It’s not the only role; a myriad of other factors — genetic predispositions, social circles, technology, access to services — count, too.

Nevertheless, a recent study in Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review identified the role of parenting as a key environmental element in the presentation of those with Extreme Social Withdrawal (ESW) and its less extreme variants of Not Employed in Education or Training, Adultolescence, etc. “All in all,” it reported, “it can be concluded that adverse family processes seem to play a significant role in the development and maintenance of ESW” (Muris & Ollendick, 2023, 468). These processes involved parents who had “some kind of psychopathology” and had parenting styles “characterized by less communication and cohesion,” which led to children being “subjected to detrimental rearing practices” (Muris & Ollendick, 2023, 468). Within this realm, individuals had parents who displayed some........

© Psychology Today