• What relationship issues do men with mother abandonment issues tend to experience, and what can help?
Anytime there is a sense of being abandoned by a primary attachment figure, such as a mother, there is likely to be a deeply imbedded fear of being abandoned again and a lack of trust in the adult relationship. This can manifest as jealousy or an extreme neediness or can look more like an emotional distancing, anything that is aimed at controlling the situation and trying to protect the hurt child that lies within. For those who have experienced abandonment, it is very difficult for them to risk vulnerability and to allow themselves to fully trust a partner as it can feel like they are not protecting themselves from the inevitability of being hurt again.