EMOTIONAL WOUND THESAURUS

HAVING A CONTROLLING OR OVERLY STRICT PARENT



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Emotional wounds will steer a character's behavior, corrupt his worldview, and cause negative traits to form. To understand exactly how this occurs, please read our tutorial for the Wound Thesaurus.

NOTE: We realize that sometimes a wound we profile may have personal meaning, stirring up the past for some of our readers. It is not our intent to create emotional turmoil. Please know that we research each wounding topic carefully to treat it with the utmost respect.
NOTES:
It's often difficult for parents to find that happy medium between protecting their children and allowing them a healthy amount of freedom. It's not uncommon for children of overly strict parents to develop characteristics and ideas that limit them later in life. An overly strict or controlling parent might have a few of the following characteristics:

EXAMPLES:
Criticized one's weight and eating habits
Established rules (even unrealistic ones) to be obeyed without question
Meddled in one's social life, including choosing friends and activities
Imposed a strict dress code that allowed no room for self-expression
Manipulated situations to get one to obey or agree with their choices
Ignored emotional pain in order to encourage one to toughen up
Withheld love and affection when one disagreed or didn't behave as expected
Applied harsh punishments for poor academics or rule infractions
Critiqued one's actions and performances so mistakes wouldn't be repeated in the future
Insisted on rigorous practices or instruction in a skill area to increase proficiency
Heaped praise on one's rivals in order to motivate one into working harder
Never admitted to being wrong or not knowing what was best
Was hypocritical, doing things they forbade one to do
Threw away cherished items when they determined it was time for one to move on or let go

WOUND CATEGORY:
Misplaced Trust and Betrayals, Specific Childhood Wounds

BASIC NEEDS OFTEN COMPROMISED BY THIS WOUND:
love and belonging, esteem and recognition, self-actualization

LIES THAT MAY DEVELOP FOR CHARACTERS WITH THIS WOUND:
They'll never be good enough
They're a huge disappointment
Their ideas are flawed and shouldn't be trusted
They need constant structure or their weaknesses will take over
If they fail at anything, they'll prove their parents right
In order to have value, they have to be the best
Second place is the same as losing
Someone else should make decisions for them because they'll only mess things up
They'll ruin their kids the same way their parents did, so it's best not to have any

THE CHARACTER MAY FEAR:
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POSSIBLE RESPONSES AND RESULTS:
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POSITIVE ATTRIBUTES THAT MAY RESULT:
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NEGATIVE TRAITS THAT MAY RESULT:
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TRIGGERS THAT MIGHT AGGRAVATE THIS WOUND:
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STEPS TOWARD HEALING:
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OPPORTUNITIES TO FACE OR OVERCOME THIS WOUND:
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