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The unsafe child: causes, signs and symptoms

The unsafe child: causes, signs and symptoms

March 4, 2024

We are immersed in our environment. From small, we interacted with him producing a continuous reciprocal transaction , in such a way that the slightest mismatch can lead to anguish as a response to it, as a mechanism of rebalancing, or some degree of somatization in the form of indisposition, difficulty in falling asleep and other psychophysiological effects.

The insecure child

Especially defenseless to these imbalances with the environment are the children under six years of age .

All your universe is in the domestic circle, which absorbs multiple external influences, for this reason the minor is continually exposed to the pressure and peculiarities of the social environment in general and of the family nucleus in particular . Under certain conditions, the unsafe child syndrome may appear.


Causes of insecurity in childhood

The serious imbalances of their environment, such as the death of parents, generate anxiety, sadness and can worsen in serious depressions and painful experiences of insecurity.

Other seemingly minor changes, such as a transfer of address, a lost pet, etc., can cause the same symptoms. At this early age, the routine offers security, therefore, situations that break this balance are experienced as a danger creating dissociation and anxiety pictures .

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What is the transitional object?

The transitional object usually a doll, a blanket, a cushion, a pacifier , etc., which recalls and symbolizes the child's family environment. When, due to circumstances, the child must face a transfer of domicile, the transitional object acts as an insurance tool, strengthened by the magical thinking proper to the children, preventing the alteration of their life scope is excessive and feelings of insecurity and fear can be unbearable.


What does the object of possession reveal about the child?

It is an element of approval and acceptance of the new environment. It means a positivity and good receptivity towards the new context. The child and the transitional object revolve on the basis of insecurity. The device of the transitional object resides in the space-time alteration, in such a way that the domestic atmosphere is migrated to another location, however, the object of possession is a rewarding object "per se" since your own essence is especially positive for the child . It is a companion of affirmation to face new horizons.

Most common signs and symptoms in the unsafe child

The experience of insecurity causes a regression to previous phases of development. Some of the signs we can observe in an insecure child are:

  • Disturbances in hygiene behavior in general and maternal dependence to do it. The insecure child tends to delegate its hygiene to the mother.
  • Modifications in affective behavior : emotional instability, disobedience, behavioral and physical aggression with other children, breakage of elements for the game. Sometimes, the insecure child presents an opposite symptomatology: shy, insecure, taciturn, passive.
  • Changes in motor behavior : recession in the evolution of displacement, cessation of bipedal position, claudication of walking, crawling, request to be carried in arms, recoil in the ability to draw. Displacement distortions are also observed in the unsafe child as they move, illogical gestures.
  • Behavioral modifications when playing They practice younger roles, too much recidivism in the same game or fear.
  • Perturbations of affective behavior : demand that he be for him, weep, interpellates continuously on questions that he already knows, irrational fears.
  • Behavioral changes in feeding : long mastication, primary engulfment, clicks when chewing, flatulence, loss of basic skills such as the use of spoon and fork, bad forms, selective repudiation, vomiting and reluctance.
  • Presence of coercive behaviors in masturbation.
  • Behavioral modifications of sleep : restlessness, sleep talking (somniloquy), night terrors, frequent sleep interruptions with crying parents and request to leave a light on, request to leave the door open and claim that parents are with him until he falls asleep, opposition to go to bed, request to be told a story with physical contact and resist falling asleep.
  • Decrease in school productivity : concentration problems in the studies.
  • Difficulties in body and oral expression : grimaces and eccentric gestures, tongue-in-cheek burlesque or tragic.

Bibliographic references:

  • Branden, N. The six pillars of self-esteem. Themes of Today, 2001.
  • Garber, S., Garber, M. and Spizman, R. Behave well. Practical solutions for the common problems of childhood. Medici, 1993.
  • Vasta, R., Marshall, M. and Scott, M. Child psychology. Ariel, 1996.

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