30.06.2020

Infantilism in adults. Infantility or immaturity of personality: errors in education Mental infantilism in adults treatment

At the present stage of development of psychiatric knowledge, manifestations of mental infantilism have not been properly analyzed, limiting themselves to the traditional postulation of immaturity or immaturity of certain mental functions, for example, a sense of duty and independence. Dissatisfaction with its previous understanding is due, firstly, to the fact that, when dealing with mental pathology, psychiatrists inevitably included its most common manifestations in mental infantilism. Infantilism, in particular, included such manifestations of uncriticality as superficiality of judgment or such a variant of emotional deficiency as lack of interest in establishing family and marital relationships, while these signs may well be explained by psychopathological diathesis, the prevalence of which in the population is extremely high. Secondly, to define infantilism, summary descriptive concepts were used that reflect a set of psychological (and microsocial) characteristics, such as “irresponsibility” and “lack of independence.” Accordingly, they may have different explanations. The use of such concepts, even if justified for assessing statistical material, is of little use for analyzing the essence of infantilism. In the application of clinicians, the concepts of identification, self-awareness and self-esteem, motivation, borrowed from psychologists, are very vague, in which what is desired or expected by the individual is differently correlated with his critical assessment of the real. Amorphous concepts leave little substantiated conclusions about infantilism as a variant of “underdevelopment.”

The specificity of the child and adolescent psyche lies, firstly, in the lack of experience and, secondly, in the uniqueness of the processes of mental functioning that ensures its acquisition in the shortest possible time, with maximum strength and in optimal sequence.

The possibility of subsequent independent adapted existence directly depends on the pace and quality of assimilation of various skills and experience in the process of maturation of both humans and many animals. The emotional prerequisite for active learning is, first of all, the attractiveness of cognitive processes, thanks to which children are more inquisitive than adults, and everything new finds a more lively response in them.

The desire for knowledge is also realized in play activities, and somewhat later also includes the desire for fantasy. And here and there, in a conditional (for example, fairy-tale) form, options for future situational behavior are played out, i.e. preparation for subsequent adaptation takes place. Of course, the degree of attractiveness of games and fantasies varies significantly, and interindividual differences in the abilities of imagination, which serves as a prerequisite for the realization of these two types of attraction, are even more noticeable, but the age-related tendency towards their weakening is undoubted.

The effectiveness of learning is enhanced by the special intensity of emotions. It explains the increased impressionability of children and is expressed in ardor and inability to restrain themselves. The emotional vividness of experiences underlies the pseudology of children, in which, starting to invent, they become so carried away by their story that they themselves believe in it. Sensual liveliness in children is also manifested in their emotional involvement with others. They are easily infected by the general mood, quickly ready to join the atmosphere of a theatrical production or film, although they are not always able to adequately distinguish between the feelings of adults and understand the meaning of a dramatic work. Thanks to the power of empathy, even those children who already know the plot and understand its immutability can turn from the audience to movie characters. Emotional involvement with others stimulates imitative behavior in children, which serves learning purposes.

On adults, children's emotions, even for a trivial reason, often give the impression of being disproportionately violent, but this indicates not only their intensity. When assessing “trifles,” it is necessary to remember that children live in the present, in the protected conditions of parental care, when strategic considerations that are more important for adults are of little relevance, since it is not the children who have to remember the prospects, but the elders, who have more experience and analytical skills for this. However, already in adolescence, when the meaning of the situation is understood, there is often a tendency to reckless passion, to risk for the sake of a sense of excitement, anticipation of success, and faith in one’s chance is based on one’s passionate desire, while special calculations are rare.

Ignoring long-term goals, combined with the short duration of emotional reactions, gives many psychiatrists reason to talk about the “superficiality” characteristic of children. It is clear that this descriptive term is not entirely correct, since in fact the emotional reactions in children are deep, although short. L.N. Tolstoy, describing Nikolenka’s hostility to the teacher when he wakes him up, notes that it even includes disgust for his clothes. Within a few minutes, he changes his attitude to the opposite, the tassel on the teacher’s cap turns from disgusting to cute, and the child repents to the point of tears. It is no coincidence that bright emotions in popular sayings correlate with the feelings of young animals: “calf tenderness”, “puppy delight”, “pig squeal” (for comparison: “a dog’s life”, “pig behavior”, “bull strength”).

Experience is acquired throughout life, but at the beginning (in childhood) the most general orientation is necessary, when cognition is directed precisely “in breadth,” extensively. The success of such training is facilitated by multi-vector interests. If at an early age children can ask questions about literally everything, then among teenagers their interests are directed “in depth”, i.e. They are increasingly switching to detailing issues, the range of which narrows in adulthood. The plasticity of emotions is also important, i.e. ease of occurrence, short duration, rapid turnover. This is also manifested by impatience, the inability to engage in monotonous activities for a long time that do not lead to quick success. If children became emotionally fixated on one thing for a long time, it would interfere with their learning in other areas. Considering the relative short duration of emotional reactions in children, psychiatrists establish their pathology over a shorter period than in adults.

Children's emotionality preferentially responds to the mood in groups (peers and loved ones), rather than to the individual experiences of others. N.G. Pomyalovsky describes how, when meeting a newcomer to the bursa, the students take turns mocking him for fun, although they fully understand his torment and even feign sympathize with him, so that they can make offensive jokes again amid general laughter. Indeed, during individual conversations with schoolchildren, one can be convinced that they are often good-natured towards the victims of collective bullying, essentially have nothing against them and even understand the unpleasant consequences of their behavior, but cannot restrain themselves. The preference for group rather than individual empathy also apparently has a biological basis, since children are not prepared for sufficient independence and it is almost always safer for them to stick to a group, which is facilitated by emotional involvement in it. This also explains the fact that the broadest and strongest friendships are formed from a young age.

A psychiatrist can pay attention to not so much the mental as the physiological feature of the expression of emotions in childhood and adolescence, which lies in their association with motor and vocal acts. This vocalization-motor reinforcement of emotions can be traced back to the infant revitalization complex, which included the first smile at the age of six weeks by F.M. Dostoevsky, and right up to the teenage “enthusiastic jumps and exclamations”, autobiographically noted by I.S. Turgenev.

In the cognitive sphere, children are dominated by visual-figurative thinking, which is more emotionally rich than logical thinking, but, most importantly, without requiring careful comparisons and consistency of analysis, it requires less time for inferences. It is especially actively used in children's imagination.

During adolescence and adolescence, the main features of the child’s psyche are preserved, and unprincipled differences only reflect emotional brightness and plasticity in changed conditions. The individual himself changes, since he has already acquired certain skills and experience, and the tasks facing him change, since preparation for fulfilling a new role in the microsociety is completed. The differences between adolescence and adolescence compared to childhood are as follows.

Firstly, the process of cognition covers new areas. The development of abstract-logical thinking skills serves as a prerequisite for interest (childishly hot) in abstract issues that are not directly related to the individual (including interest in art). Dostoevsky's teenager passionately argued on social and moral issues even with fools, realizing that this was unforgivable, but unable to restrain himself (because of this, he was considered sixteen years old, although in fact he was already over twenty). In connection with puberty, interest in gender relations and sexual behavior appears (and often intensifies).

Secondly, based on developing analytical thinking skills, adolescents and young men want to understand more and more deeply the subjects of their interest, although most lack talent and (or) diligence for real success.

Thirdly, knowledge of oneself and the world is moving to a new level, increasingly taking on the character of an active experiment, testing with the fullest load, including in extreme conditions and collisions. Before starting an independent life, an individual needs to test the real limits of his capabilities, modeling his behavior in situations that require full mobilization. Playing out your capabilities only in your imagination is no longer enough. Hence the desire for categoricalness, maximalism, polarity of categories, dramatic feelings and relationships. Halftones and transitions are recognized as existing, but are disdained as insufficiently satisfying emotional needs. Responding childishly to novelty, teenagers often strive to be not just fashionable, but trendy and extravagant. If romanticism is popular, then among them you can find the most reckless romantics, and if commercialism is popular, then you can find the most cynical self-interested people. Preserving children's emotional plasticity contributes to the ease of transition from adoration to hatred, when devoted friends overnight turn into irreconcilable enemies, and vice versa.

Fourthly, interindividual differences in the pace and results of physical and mental maturation serve as a condition for the activation of hierarchical struggle. It takes advantage of both constitutional data and acquired skills, so the latter are stimulated to the fullest development. Some teenagers strive to develop a variety of skills, while others prefer to hone some of them, for example, speech. Self-assertion of physical superiority can be expressed in sports competitions and banal fights. The emotional basis of this behavior - aggressiveness - is also observed among higher animals, when, for example, teenage seals attack females and kill their cubs. Girls are more likely to assert themselves by emphasizing their external attractiveness with the help of bright cosmetics, flashy outfits and manners (demonstration). Self-asserting their psychological superiority, teenagers and young men challenge themselves, at best, in debates and quizzes, and at worst, in disputes with loved ones, teachers, and attempts to overthrow authorities. Defiant arrogance in its clash with the social environment is fraught with wounded feelings of pride. Therefore, claims to superiority create the ground for increased conflicts and protest reactions, which, given the above-mentioned tendency to be categorical and dramatic, can acquire very harsh and even dangerous forms of expression. The emotional intensity of hierarchical claims causes adolescents to be particularly sensitive to both praise and blame.

Fifthly, as the cognitive content of the psyche becomes more complex, when, along with simplified concepts (pleasant - unpleasant, good - bad), ambiguous categories occupy an increasing place, the skills of more complex emotional reactions are acquired, for example, irony, contempt, sarcasm and disappointment, which complement simple emotional reactions more typical for childhood (like - dislike, crying - laughter, jubilation - indignation, gratitude - resentment).

After acquiring independence skills, the biologically determined features of the child and adolescent psyche, which primarily stimulate the processes of extensive cognition, usually lose their significance. Moreover, they can even interfere, distracting from the measured activities necessary for life support, which are often limited to a relatively narrow range of needs. To more fully satisfy these needs, a detailed study of the existing relatively stable conditions of one’s life is required. In this situation, the importance of logical thinking increases. Actually, the dominance of visual-figurative thinking is erased even before adolescence, if the child grows up in a culturally developed rather than primitive environment (i.e., the skill of logical thinking is instilled relatively quickly if there is a need for it). As they mature and gain independence, the need for blind attachment to the team is lost, and after creating their own family, it takes priority. Continuing a tough hierarchical struggle into adulthood sometimes brings success to the individual, but more often partnership or at least taking a neutral position is more favorable for both him and society.

However, in cases of rapid and dramatic changes in environmental conditions, the relevance of acquiring new skills and experience remains or even increases. Depending on the specific circumstances, connection with the team can be either beneficial or detrimental. In extreme situations, thinking logically about the situation slows down necessary actions. From all this it is clear that for a prosperous existence, a population must include both options for emotional and cognitive functioning: both with the loss and preservation of childhood characteristics. Therefore, both should be considered as the norm.

If these features of the emotional and cognitive processes of the maturation period persist into adulthood, then they constitute the essence of mental infantilism or juvenileism. They are based on emotional aliveness, so the mechanism for overcoming them in adulthood is to reduce it. Mental maturation should be considered as a special case of the dynamics of emotionality, since the identification of a tendency towards the extinction of emotions, hobbies and interests in anything depends on the duration of the observation period. Of course, the decrease in emotional liveliness in adults is not very significant and is subjectively noticed not immediately, but when comparing extended stages of life, but, in the words of one of Chekhov’s heroes, they no longer have that fire. A biologically fixed decrease in the intensity and plasticity of emotions eliminates most of the features specific to adolescence, but has little effect on those that depend on cognitive development. In particular, emotional differentiation remains and even develops; there is no significant reorientation of interests in favor of primitive needs, although in general the motivation to realize one’s aspirations (due to the erasure of emotionality) is no longer so high.

It is fundamentally important to consider separately from the biologically determined characteristics of the child and adolescent psyche its substantive characteristic - inexperience, which should include both lack of awareness and undeveloped skills. Due to lack of sophistication, children are naive and simple-minded, and have little prudence. They are more likely than adults to behave naturally, not only because they see no point in hiding their feelings, but also because the skills of hypocrisy have not been developed (however, talent in this area can be revealed early). In different environmental conditions and in accordance with individual preferences, experience can be assimilated unevenly: in some information areas it is leading, in others it is lagging. Depending on the conditions, the skills of logical analysis, purposefulness in behavior, and restraint in one’s actions are also formed. However, very significant differences in environmental conditions really affect the completeness of the experience necessary for life, since sources of information are usually multiple and interchangeable: if parents did not tell you about something, then you can learn about it from friends or from books and films, etc.

Lack of information and failure in everyday affairs in adults indicate either special conditions of information deficiency and the impossibility of developing skills as a result, or (which happens much more often) a mental disorder that interferes with the assimilation of experience. In both cases, it is advisable to talk, at best, about pseudo-infantilism (environmental and painful), so as not to combine heterogeneous concepts. Given the environmental conditioning of pseudo-infantilism, more correct are not medical, but psychological and social terms, which, in fact, are used by psychiatrists, for example, “pedagogical neglect” or “primitiveness.” In the case of a mental disorder, pseudo-infantilism must be characterized according to the essence of this disorder. We can talk about mental retardation (oligophrenia) or personal (acquired or congenital) anomalies in psychopathological diathesis and schizophrenia. Constitutional and acquired personality anomalies include uncritical judgment and emotional deficiency. It is clear that the psychological essence of emotional impoverishment and infantilism are opposite. But this does not mean that they are not observed in the same patients, since emotional deficiency can manifest itself very selectively, for example, affecting only some areas of life, while in the rest emotional brightness is preserved, in particular with the peculiarities of establishing interpersonal relationships inherent in adolescence , assertion of one’s superiority, etc. Manifestations of true infantilism can all the more coexist with both general and selective failure in the cognitive sphere.

Differentiation of pathological pseudo-infantilism and true (non-pathological), i.e. deficiency symptoms and, relatively speaking, positive personality traits, cannot rely on the traditionally mentioned summary categories of dual origin. For example, a manifestation of true infantilism should be considered such irresponsibility or carelessness that stems from a passion so intense that it competes with the fulfillment of duty. Thus, a young man skimps on studies or work for the sake of his beloved company, but, fully understanding the consequences, ignores them. As a result of emotional fervor, extremely irresponsible acts can be committed, but they are rare and are assessed by individuals themselves as “breakdowns” as a result of special circumstances. For example, a 21-year-old student swings his cane at an examiner for an apparently unfair assessment. In these moments, he managed to think not only about the prospects of expulsion from the institute, but also about the consequences for the family. This act remained out of the ordinary for his entire subsequent life. When frivolity stems from the inability to fully comprehend the consequences of one’s behavior, we are talking about a painful uncriticality in judgment.

When analyzing irresponsibility, one should also take into account differences in microsocial orientation that are not dependent on increased emotionality, i.e. in the conscious choice of basic life values. Everyone decides in his own way the question of what place pleasure and duty should occupy in his life. Even children of the same age differ significantly in the degree of responsibility, although the instructions of their elders guide them in the same general direction. Teenagers often begin to treat their studies and household responsibilities less responsibly than at an earlier age, and it is not always possible to associate this with increased emotions or a mental disorder (for example, affective disorders). Rather, in such cases, one should take into account the likelihood of adolescents uncompromisingly using their right to independently choose a social position. In adults, microsocial orientation can also vary significantly. Thanks to this, for example, prevailing views in society on the importance of creating or maintaining a family may change, which does not indicate an increase in mental illness or infantilization of the population. For Taras Bulba, the “bonds of camaraderie” were above all, which cannot be said about his youngest son, but it is unlawful to judge on this basis which of them is more infantile.

Suggestibility can be understood ambiguously. If it implies gullibility, then in both children and adults it indicates, first of all, the absence in oneself or in loved ones of severe negative experience associated with its consequences. When such experience is acquired, it quickly gives way to mistrust even in children. If by suggestibility we mean lack of independence in assessments and interpretations, then this feature of the cognitive sphere is so widely represented in the population that it is difficult to consider it a specific manifestation of infantilism. We can talk about either reduced mental abilities or a lack of motivation to form one’s own concepts, or a preference for cliches and borrowings in the cognitive sphere. Sometimes the concept of suggestibility includes a rich imagination. Such talent is constant, and only those cases when it continues to be actively stimulated by emotional liveliness that persists into adulthood should be classified as true infantilism.

It is clear that such characteristics as “inappropriate frankness” and “carelessness” may also have an alternative origin, since they depend both on the emotional state and on the adequacy of the understanding of the situation. It is not always possible to explain lack of independence as true infantilism, unless we are talking about scattered interests and an insufficiently ordered lifestyle due to the preservation of teenage emotional liveliness. An additional difficulty lies in the significant dependence of the understanding of this term on subjective views; some are inclined to consider any behavior that is not aimed at achieving socially significant goals as a manifestation of lack of independence.

It is very difficult to evaluate "poor control" of one's behavior. First of all, one should distinguish between controlling drives and preferences, on the one hand, and emotional reactions under psychological stress, on the other. In the first case, it is always difficult to correlate the strength of attraction or emotional attractiveness of a particular preference with the depth of a sense of duty, which partly depends on the completeness and adequacy of its awareness. It is clear that the resulting behavior requires careful analysis to show whether it is an expression of true or pseudo-infantilism. In the second case, actions are possible whose consequences are not immediately realized, since strong emotions slow down cognitive assessments. In the absence of personal deficits, infantile behavior is corrected following a critical understanding of the situation. Thus, Turgenev's Vladimir freezes, admiring the stranger and not realizing how it looks from the outside. As soon as he realizes his behavior, he becomes ashamed and leaves. Intense psychological stress and a tendency toward emotional fervor can also impede the subtlety of cognitive assessments, thereby promoting the development of simplified emotional reactions. However, with infantilism in mentally healthy individuals, the tendency to an undifferentiated emotional response characterizes only its initial stages and simple reactions are transformed into complex ones: indignation turns into irony, joy is mixed with regret about its fragility. With pseudo-infantilism as a result of personal deficiency, the emotional content of reactions does not undergo significant dynamics. In the differential aspect, one should also keep in mind emotional incontinence in case of organic brain damage, when, despite the awareness of the wrongfulness of one’s behavior, restraining emotions (embarrassment, remorse, etc.) are too weak (at least immediately after psychological stress).

Some other signs traditionally classified as infantilism should definitely be considered manifestations of personal deficiency. These include the lack of adequate self-image (self-criticism disorder), the use of simplified concepts and poor differentiation of emotional reactions, which may reflect both cognitive and emotional deficits. Those cases when considerations of delicacy and the possibility of hidden relationships between others are missed, which leads to tactlessness, or when a polite attitude towards oneself is taken for special favor, should also be considered as personal deficiency.

The presented concept of true mental infantilism is based not so much on the identification of specific qualitative features, but on the establishment of a relatively greater expression and plasticity of emotions and behavioral characteristics derived from them, which are thus more noticeable than in other cases. This concept, contrary to traditional views, does not classify true infantilism as a defect or underdevelopment and forces us to consider such personality types as hysterical and borderline not pathological, but psychological, since their main features are limited by its characteristics. This does not mean that all patients with hysterical or borderline personality disorder can be automatically classified as mentally healthy. Clinical analysis shows that they often, in addition to the actual infantile characteristics, have signs of dissociative-deficit personality anomalies, as well as erased mood disorders. Among these signs, uncritical judgment and mixed or hypomanic symptoms lead to particularly vivid and socially unacceptable character traits characteristic of true infantilism. These cases fully meet the criteria for a widespread psychopathological diathesis in the population, so it is no coincidence that they often include episodes of neurotic-level disorders (depersonalization, senestopathies, etc.), and sometimes psychotic ones. It is clear that the combination of true infantilism and pseudo-infantilism is also observed in schizophrenia. The more severe the schizophrenic defect, the more likely the predominance of pseudo-infantilism over the true one.

Main symptoms:

Pallor
Lethargy
Ignoring the sense of responsibility
frivolity
Impaired concentration
Violation of the process of defecation
Disobedience to discipline
Poor decisions
Inability to make decisions
Inability to make independent choices
No worries about tomorrow
Lack of strong-willed qualities
Constantly seeking support from adults
Weak motivation to learn
Decreased muscle tone
Stress when you need to step out of your comfort zone
Increase in abdominal volume

People who exhibit childlike behavior at any age are considered infantile. Infantilism is called “childishness” (“infantilis” - childish), the term acts as a synonym for a naive, childish approach to solving adult problems, everyday relationships, and the ability to make responsible decisions.

Characteristic representatives of infantilism are clubbers, whose movement began in the USA about 50 years ago, then moved to Western Europe and at the end of the last century to Russia. The whole point of life as a clubber is to spend a huge amount of money on a wardrobe and visiting fashionable clubs. Moreover, clubbers live “in grand style” at the expense of others: whose money it is and what will happen tomorrow, such people do not care.

If we talk about infantilism in men, it will most likely be husbands who go to the garage every evening (dilapidated, with an ancient car - it doesn’t matter), where no one else’s foot should set foot. But it can also be a super-expensive nightclub, the main thing is that the infant acts and lives by his own invented rules, far from reality.

If we talk about infantilism in women, these are wives who are offended by life and by their ex-husbands, who gather every night to discuss the men they were with. These could also be women whose main goal is a “bohemian” life, a smooth transition from one expensive club to another, and constantly updating their wardrobe with expensive things.

Causes

According to psychologists, the cause of psychological infantilism is improper upbringing of children. In fact, it all depends on the type of disorder; you can be an infantile without parental education and with good upbringing, violating the rules of family relationships established by mother and father.

Family upbringing influences the development of children and can give rise to the disease. For example, if parents do not take the teenager seriously, making decisions for him, not allowing him to act independently. There are opposite situations when high demands are made that are not due to age.

Children raised by one of the parents: mother or father are at risk. It is believed that in this case there is a developmental bias into masculine or feminine principles, which leads to a lack of healthy independence. This is especially true if a girl is raised by her father, and a boy by his mother or grandmother. Correct development occurs with simultaneous equal interaction in the family of father and mother in educational matters.

Physiological and mental infantilism can occur for the following reasons:

hereditary predisposition;
intoxication in the prenatal period;
brain damage as a result of serious illnesses;
traumatic brain injuries;
overprotection - total control over the child’s actions, excessive attention, excessive care.

The pathology affects the frontal lobes of the brain, which are responsible for control of higher mental activity, the formation of motivation, and purposeful social behavior.

The causes of genital infantilism are constant intoxication and hormonal imbalance. Other provoking factors in women include:

regular strict diets;
underdevelopment of the ovaries;
heart and thyroid diseases.

In men, there are congenital anomalies in the structure of the reproductive organs (small penis size or its absence, bifurcated penis, absence of the head or testicles, and so on). Often this form of the disease is combined with physical and mental underdevelopment.

Classification

Types of infantilism are conventionally distinguished according to the following criteria.

According to the age:

child infantilism;
teenage infantilism;
adult.

By etiology:

Psychophysical infantilism - develops against the background of severe somatic disorders that deplete the nervous system.
Mental - immaturity of mental development, in which behavior does not correspond to age.
Physiological infantilism is a slowdown in physical development, somatic organs and body systems.
Organic infantilism - develops against the background of damage to the nervous system caused by head injury, intrauterine asphyxia, or exposure to infection.
Psychological infantilism is the result of a pampered attitude towards a child or, conversely, despotic influence. Differs from mental causes of occurrence.
Sexual infantilism is a delay in sexual formation, often combined with a lag in mental and physical development.
Legal - low level of responsibility with the desire to get a high result without awareness of the consequences, but with awareness of one’s behavior.
Social infantilism is a violation of socialization (integration into the social system).

By gender:

Female infantilism.
Male infantilism.

By severity:

Partial - the child’s physical development is ahead of the mental development, the child is completely dependent on the parents.
Total - mental and physical development is lagging behind, appearance and behavior correspond to an early age.

By localization:

Intestinal infantilism - insufficient absorption of nutrients (fats and carbohydrates) by the intestines, refers to digestive disorders.
Genital infantilism.
Uterine infantilism is hypoplasia, delay or arrest of the development of the uterus at the level of a teenager or little girl.

The disease can be congenital or acquired.

Symptoms

The main sign of infantilism is life in one’s own limited “sandbox”, perhaps with like-minded people, but according to its own rules, often similar to the rules of some game. What kind of “sandbox” it will be is not important, the main thing is to follow the rules of the game.

Infants do not develop with age and retain behavior characteristic of an early age. Infantilism in adults can manifest itself not only in psychological phenomena, but also in facial features and figure.

Generalized signs of mental infantilism in children:

inability to make decisions;
inability and unwillingness to take responsibility both for oneself and for any other person or animal;
ill-considered decisions when a person does not think about the consequences;
constant search for support from adults;
following scripts laid down in the family from early childhood;
fear of leaving your comfort zone;
lack of worry about tomorrow;
inability to make independent choices;
weak motivation to learn;
lack of understanding of generally accepted rules of behavior and unwillingness to follow them, disobedience to discipline;
absence or decrease in volitional qualities;
unstable attention, hasty judgments, inability to analyze, eccentricity, frivolity, carelessness;
tendency to fantasies;
emotional uncontrollability, rapid mood swings from cheerfulness to aggression, but usually such a child does not have the desire to purposefully harm someone;
inability to assess the situation and find a way out of it;
inability to keep distance from strangers;
pathological attachment to one parent (usually the mother).

The syndrome of mental infantilism becomes noticeable and manifests itself more clearly during school years, more often in adolescence. Such children remain in the class for the second year, make friends younger than themselves, do not live by collective interests, and prefer games rather than study. In adult life, they are not capable of deep, sincere feelings. Social disadaptation aggravates mental retardation.

Infantile children are very different intellectually from autistic children and children with mental retardation. They are productive, able to think logically and abstractly, and transfer knowledge to assigned tasks.

This is harmonious infantilism, which, unlike disharmonious, does not lead to a change in personality. The disharmonic form of the disease is observed in patients with schizophrenia and in persons with hysterical disorders.

Mentally infantile children differ from psychological ones in that the latter are theoretically able to make decisions according to their age, but in practice this does not happen. They are used to someone else always making decisions for them.

Congenital or acquired celiac disease can be an independent disease or a complication of another pathology. Manifestations are noticeable from the age of two. Main symptoms:

violation of defecation (foamy, mushy, copious stools);
lethargy;
poor appetite;
pallor;
decreased muscle tone;
enlarged belly;
increasing dystrophy.

Signs of genital infantilism:

a woman's petite build;
narrowed shoulders and pelvis;
small height;
characterized by late menstruation, accompanied by pain, scanty discharge, irregularity, dyspepsia, headache, fainting;
libido is weak, the mammary glands are poorly developed, there is no hair in the armpit and pubic area.

The disease in women is divided into degrees of severity, depending on the development of the uterus:

Genital infantilism of the 1st degree is a rare form of congenital sexual anomalies, characterized by an underdeveloped (rudimentary) uterus up to 3 cm long, a long neck, disproportionate labia, a large clitoris, absence of menstruation and fertility, which cannot be restored.
Grade 2 - infantile uterus, size more than 3 cm, like a 10-year-old girl, highly located gonads, long and tortuous fallopian tubes. Menstruation is scanty and painful. Treatment is possible, but it takes a very long time.
Grade 3 - hypoplastic uterus, size no more than 6 cm. Most often this is a consequence of inflammation of the reproductive organs in childhood or adolescence. In some cases, the pathology regresses during gestation.

The main manifestation in men is a small penis, 1.5–2 times less than the average length typical for age. Such men have reduced or absent sexual desire, spontaneous ejaculation and spontaneous erection are characteristic.

A man is not able to establish contact with a woman, is not capable of intimacy. Often the appearance of patients does not correspond to their age. Such a clinical picture can develop against the background of severe mental disorders.

Signs of infantilism depend on the forms of the disease, causes, and severity.

Diagnostics

Diagnosis of psychophysical forms of the disease includes the following methods:

A conversation with a specialist - a psychiatrist asks clarifying questions to assess a person’s adequacy, adaptive abilities, readiness to learn, emotional and behavioral reactions, and ability to maintain a conversation.
Drawing tests are used when examining children of preschool and school age. The child is asked to draw a tree, a house, a person, an animal. A sick child is unable to follow instructions and simplifies the elements of the drawing.
Interpretation of situations - various tests are used for schoolchildren, a sick child cannot explain the feelings of people in the images.
Questionnaires - questionnaires for schoolchildren over 10 years old, allowing to identify psycho-emotional instability.

To identify sexual infantile disorders, sonography, anthropometry, hormone analysis, and gynecological examination are used.

Celiac disease is nonspecific in its manifestations, and therefore difficult to diagnose. During the examination, complaints are clarified, anamnesis is collected, and a laboratory analysis (enzyme immunoassay) is performed to determine biomarkers. Gastroenteroscopy and biopsy are performed.

Treatment

Treatment regimens for infantilism are selected taking into account the type of disease and severity. For organic lesions, therapy is aimed at combating the underlying pathology; for the psychogenic form, psychological correction is carried out.

For severe behavioral disorders, psychotropic drugs, antidepressants, antipsychotics, and tranquilizers are prescribed. Psychotherapy consists of a psychologist working with the patient’s emotional and behavioral attitudes, learning how to adapt and function in society, and talking with parents.

Treatment of celiac disease consists of dietary nutrition, taking large doses of vitamins, and enzyme preparations. In severe cases, a blood transfusion is required.

Treatment of genital infantilism consists of the use of hormone-containing drugs, vitamins, adherence to sleep, rest, and nutrition. Spa treatment, physiotherapy, and gynecological massage help. To treat infantile men with sexual dysfunction, reconstructive surgery techniques, hormone therapy, and diet therapy are used.

Today we will examine a completely controversial topic - infantilism. The term “infantility” comes from the word “infant”.

From Wikipedia:

Infant, female form of infante (Spanish infante, Port. infant, from Latin infans - child) - the title of all princes and princesses of the royal house in Spain and Portugal (before the liquidation of the Portuguese monarchy in 1910).

Infantilism (from Latin infantilis - childish) - immaturity in development, preservation in physical appearance or behavior of traits inherent in previous age stages.

In a figurative sense, infantilism (as childishness) is a manifestation of a naive approach in everyday life, in politics, in relationships, etc.

For a more complete picture, it should be noted that infantilism can be mental and psychological. And their main difference is not the external manifestation, but the reasons for their occurrence.

The external manifestations of mental and psychological infantilism are similar and are expressed in the manifestation of childish traits in behavior, thinking, and emotional reactions.

To understand the difference between mental and psychological infantilism, it is necessary to understand the causes of its occurrence.

Mental infantilism

It arises due to lag and delay in the child’s psyche. In other words, there is a delay in the formation of personality, caused by a delay in development in the emotional and volitional spheres. The emotional-volitional sphere is the basis on which personality is built. Without such a base, a person, in principle, cannot grow up and at any age remains an “eternal” child.

It should also be noted here that infantile children differ from mentally retarded or autistic children. Their mental sphere can be developed, they can have a high level of abstract-logical thinking, they can apply the acquired knowledge, they can be intellectually developed and independent.

Mental infantilism cannot be identified in early childhood; it can only be noticed when a child of school age or adolescence begins to dominate gaming interests over academic ones.

In other words, the child’s interest is limited only to games and fantasies; everything that goes beyond the boundaries of this world is not accepted, not explored and is perceived as something unpleasant, complex, alien imposed from the outside.

Behavior becomes primitive and predictable; from any disciplinary requirements, the child retreats even further into the world of play and fantasy. Over time, this leads to problems of social adaptation.

As an example, a child can play on the computer for hours, sincerely not understanding why he needs to brush his teeth, make his bed, or go to school. Everything outside the game is alien, unnecessary, incomprehensible.

It should be noted that parents may be to blame for the infantilism of a person born normal. A frivolous attitude towards a child in childhood, a ban on a teenager making independent decisions, and a constant restriction of his freedom precisely lead to underdevelopment of the emotional-volitional sphere.

Psychological infantilism

With psychological infantilism, the child has a healthy psyche, without delays. He may well correspond to his developmental age, but in practice this does not happen, because for a number of reasons he chooses the role of a child in his behavior.

In general, the main difference between mental infantilism and psychological infantilism can be expressed as follows:

Mental infantilism: I can’t, even if I want to.

Psychological infantilism: I don’t want to, even if I can.

The general theory is clear. Now more specifically.

How does infantilism appear?

According to psychologists, infantilism is not an innate quality, but acquired through upbringing. So what do parents and educators do that makes a child grow up infantile?

Again, according to psychologists, infantilism develops in the period from 8 to 12 years. Let's not argue, but simply observe how this happens.

In the period from 8 to 12 years, a child can already take responsibility for his actions. But in order for a child to begin to take independent actions, he needs to be trusted. This is where the main “evil” lies, which leads to infantilism.

Here are some examples of education of infantilism:

“Are you having trouble writing an essay? I’ll help, I used to write essays well,” says my mother.

“I know better what’s right!”

“You will listen to your mother, and everything will be fine.”

“What opinion can you have!”

“I said so it will be!”

“Your hands are growing from the wrong place!”

“Yes, everything is always like no other for you.”

“Go away, I’ll do it myself.”

“Well, of course, whatever he doesn’t take on, he’ll break everything!”

This is how parents gradually lay programs into their children. Some children, of course, will go against it and do it their own way, but they may receive such pressure that the desire to do anything will disappear altogether, and forever.

Over the years, a child may believe that his parents are right, that he is a failure, that he cannot do anything right, and that others can do it much better. And if feelings and emotions are still suppressed, the child will never get to know them and then his emotional sphere will not be developed.

“You’ll still make me cry here!”

“Why are you yelling? Hurt? You have to be patient."

"Boys never cry!"

“Why are you screaming like crazy.”

All this can be characterized by the following phrase: “Child, don’t interfere with our lives.” Unfortunately, this is the main requirement of parents for children to be quiet, obedient and not interfere. So why then be surprised that infantilism is widespread?

By and large, parents unconsciously suppress both the will and feelings in the child.

This is one of the options. But there are others. For example, when a mother raises her son (or daughter) alone. She begins to take care of the child more than he needs. She wants him to grow up to be very famous, to prove to the whole world what a talent he is, so that his mother can be good enough for him.

The key word is that the mother could be proud. In this case, you don’t even think about the child, the main thing is to satisfy your ambitions. Such a mother will be happy to find for her child an activity that he will like, will put all his strength and money into it, and will take on all the difficulties that may arise during such a hobby.

So talented children grow up, but they are not adapted to anything. It’s good if later there is a woman who wants to serve this talent. And if not? And if it also turns out that there is essentially no talent. Can you guess what awaits such a child in life? And my mother will grieve: “Well, why am I like this! I did so much for him!” Yes, not for him, but FOR HIM, that’s why he is like this.

Another example when parents dote on their child. Since childhood, all he hears is how wonderful he is, how talented, how smart, and everything like that. The child’s self-esteem becomes so high that he is sure that he deserves more and simply will not put in any work to achieve this more.

His parents will do everything for him and will watch with admiration how he breaks toys (he is so inquisitive), how he hurts children in the yard (he is so strong), etc. And when faced with real difficulties in life, he will deflate like a bubble.

Another very striking example of the emergence of infantilism is a stormy divorce of parents, when the child feels unwanted. Parents sort out the relationship between themselves, and the child becomes a hostage of this relationship.

All the strength and energy of the parents is directed towards “annoying” the other side. The child does not understand what is really happening and often begins to take responsibility for himself - dad left because of me, I was a bad son (daughter).

This burden becomes exorbitant and suppression of the emotional sphere occurs when the child does not understand what is happening to him, and there is no adult nearby who would help him understand himself and what is happening. The child begins to “withdraw into himself,” become isolated and live in his own world, where he feels comfortable and good. The real world is presented as something frightening, evil and unacceptable.

I think that you yourself can give many such examples, and maybe you even recognize yourself or your parents in some ways. Any result of upbringing that leads to suppression of the emotional-volitional sphere leads to infantilism.

Just don’t rush to blame your parents for everything. This is very convenient and this is also one of the forms of manifestation of immaturity. Better look at what you are doing with your children now.

You see, in order to develop a personality, you yourself need to be a personality. And in order for a conscious child to grow up nearby, the parents must also be conscious. But is this really so?

Do you take out irritation on your children for your unresolved problems (suppression of the emotional sphere)? Are you trying to impose your vision of life on your children (suppression of the volitional sphere)?

We unconsciously make the same mistakes that our parents made, and if we are not aware of them, then our children will make the same mistakes in raising their own children. Alas, this is true.

Once again for understanding:

Mental infantilism is an undeveloped emotional-volitional sphere;

Psychological infantilism is a suppressed emotional-volitional sphere.

How does infantilism manifest?

Manifestations of mental and psychological infantilism are almost the same. The difference between them is that with mental infantilism a person cannot consciously and independently change his behavior, even if he has a motive.

And with psychological infantilism, a person can change his behavior when a motive appears, but most often he does not change out of a desire to leave everything as it is.

Let's look at specific examples of the manifestation of infantilism.

A person has achieved success in science or art, but in everyday life he turns out to be completely unsuited. In his activities, he feels like an adult and competent, but an absolute child in everyday life and in relationships. And he tries to find someone who will take over that area of life in which he can remain a child.

Adult sons and daughters continue to live with their parents and do not start families of their own. With your parents, everything is familiar and familiar; you can remain an eternal child, for whom all everyday problems will be solved.

Starting your own family means taking responsibility for your life and facing certain difficulties.

Suppose that it becomes unbearable to live with your parents, they also begin to demand something. If someone else appears in a person’s life to whom responsibility can be shifted, then he will leave his parents’ home and will continue to lead the same lifestyle as with his parents - not taking on anything and not being responsible for anything.

Only infantilism can push a man or woman to leave their family, to neglect their obligations in order to try to regain their lost youth.

Constantly changing jobs due to unwillingness to make efforts or acquiring mythical experience.

The search for a “savior” or a “magic pill” are also signs of infantilism.

The main criterion can be called the inability and unwillingness to take responsibility for one’s life, not to mention the lives of loved ones. And as they wrote in the comments: “the worst thing is to be with a person and know that you cannot rely on him at a critical moment! Such people create families, give birth to children and shift responsibility onto other shoulders!”

What does infantilism look like?

It is not always possible to determine at first glance whether the person in front of you is childish or not. Infantility will begin to manifest itself in interaction, and especially at critical moments in life, when a person seems to slow down, does not make any decisions and expects someone to take responsibility for him.

Infantile people can be compared to eternal children who don’t really care about anything. Moreover, not only are they not interested in other people, but they also don’t want to take care of themselves (psychological infantilism) or cannot (mental) take care of themselves.

If we talk about male infantilism, then this is definitely the behavior of a child who needs not a woman, but a mother who takes care of him. Many women fall for this bait, and then begin to be indignant: “Why should I do it all the time? And earn money, and maintain a house, and take care of children, and build relationships. Is there even a man nearby?

The question immediately arises: “A man? Who did you marry? Who initiated the acquaintance and meetings? Who made the decisions on how and where to spend the evening together? Who was always figuring out where to go and what to do?” These questions are endless.

If from the very beginning you took everything upon yourself, invented and did everything yourself, and the man simply obediently did it, then did you really marry an ADULT MAN? It seems to me that you were marrying a CHILD. Only you were so in love that you didn’t notice it right away.

What to do

This is the most important question that arises. Let's first look at it in relation to the child, if you are parents. Then in relation to an adult who continues to remain a child throughout life. And lastly, if you saw traits of infantilism in yourself and decided to change something in yourself, but don’t know how.

1. What to do if you have an infantile child growing up.

Let's think together - what do you want to get as a result of raising a child, what are you doing and what needs to be done to get the desired result?

The task of each parent is to adapt the child to an independent life without parents as much as possible and teach him to live in interaction with other people so that he can create his own happy family.

There are several mistakes that result in the development of infantilism. Here are some of them.

Mistake 1. Sacrifice

This mistake manifests itself when parents begin to live for their children, trying to give the child the best, so that he has everything, so that he is dressed no worse than others, so that he studies at the institute, while denying himself everything.

One’s own life seems to become unimportant compared to the child’s life. Parents can work several jobs, be malnourished, lack sleep, not take care of themselves and their health, as long as the child is doing well, as long as he learns and grows up as a human being. Most often, single parents do this.

At first glance, it seems that the parents put their whole soul into the child, but the result is disastrous, the child grows up unable to appreciate his parents and the care they gave.

What's really going on? From an early age, a child gets used to the fact that his parents live and work only for his well-being. He gets used to getting everything ready. The question arises: if a person is used to getting everything ready, will he then be able to do something for himself or will he wait for someone to do it for him?

And at the same time, not just wait, but demand with your behavior that you must, because there is no experience of doing something on your own, and it was the parents who did not give this experience, because everything was always for him and only for his sake. He seriously does not understand why it should be different and how this is even possible.

And the child does not understand why and for what he should be grateful to his parents, if this was how it should have been. Sacrificing yourself means ruining both your life and the life of a child.

What to do. You need to start with yourself, learn to value yourself and your life. If parents do not value their lives, the child will take this for granted and will also not value the lives of their parents, and, consequently, the lives of other people. For him, living for his sake will become the rule in relationships, he will use others and consider this absolutely normal behavior, because that’s how he was taught, he simply doesn’t know how to do it any other way.

Think about it: is your child interested in being with you if you have nothing to give other than taking care of him? If nothing happens in your life, what could attract a child to share your interests, to feel like a member of a community - a family?

And is it worth it then to be surprised if the child finds entertainment on the side such as drinking, drugs, mindless partying, etc., he is used to only receiving what is given to him. And how can he be proud of you and respect you if you are nothing of yourself, if all your interests are only around him?

Mistake 2. “I’ll clear the clouds with my hands” or I’ll solve all the problems for you

This mistake manifests itself in pity when parents decide that the child has enough problems for a lifetime, and at least let him remain a child with them. And in the end, an eternal child. Pity may be caused by mistrust that the child can take care of himself in some way. And mistrust again arises due to the fact that the child has not been taught to take care of himself.

What it looks like:

“You’re tired, rest, I’ll finish it.”

“You still have time to work hard! Let me do it for you."

“You still have homework to do, okay, go, I’ll wash the dishes myself.”

“We need to agree with Marivanna so that she tells who needs it so that you can go to study without any problems.”

And everything like that.

By and large, parents begin to feel sorry for their child, he is tired, he has a big workload, he is small, he does not know life. And the fact that parents themselves do not rest and their workload is no less, and not everyone themselves once knew, is somehow forgotten about.

All homework and organization in life falls on the shoulders of the parents. “This is my child, if I don’t take pity on him, don’t do something for him (read: for him), who else will take care of him? And after some time, when the child gets used to the fact that everything will be done for him, the parents wonder why the child is not adapted to anything and they have to do everything themselves. But for him this is already the norm of behavior.

What does this lead to? The child, if it is a boy, will look for the same wife, behind whose back he can settle down warmly and hide from life’s adversities. She will feed you, wash you and earn money; she is warm and reliable.

If the child is a girl, then she will look for a man who will play the role of dad, who will solve all her problems for her, support her and not burden her with anything.

What to do. First, pay attention to what your child is doing and what household chores he performs. If not any, then first of all it is necessary that the child also have his own responsibilities.

It is not so difficult to teach a child to take out the trash, wash the dishes, put away toys and things, and keep his room in order. But responsibilities must not just be assigned, but taught how and what needs to be done and explained why. Under no circumstances should a similar phrase be heard: “The main thing is to study well, this is your responsibility, and I will do everything around the house myself.”

He must be held accountable for his duties. Whether the child is tired or not, it doesn’t matter, in the end, he can rest and fulfill his duties, this is his responsibility. Isn't that what you do yourself? Is someone doing something for you? Your task is to learn not to feel sorry and not to do work for him if you want him not to grow up childish. It is pity and distrust that a child can do something well on his own that does not provide the opportunity to develop the volitional sphere.

Error 3. Excessive love, expressed in constant admiration, affection, elevation above others and permissiveness

What could this lead to? Moreover, he will never learn to love (and therefore give), including his parents. At first glance, it will seem that he knows how to love, but all his love, it is conditional and only in response, and with any remark, doubt about his “genius” or in the absence of admiration, it will “disappear.”

As a result of such upbringing, the child is confident that the whole world should admire and indulge him. And if this does not happen, then everyone around is bad, incapable of love. Although he is the one who is incapable of love, he was not taught this.

As a result, he will choose a defensive phrase: “I am who I am and accept me as I am, if I don’t like it, I won’t accept it.” He will take the love of others calmly, for granted, and, having no response within, will hurt those who love him, including his parents.

This is often perceived as a manifestation of selfishness, but the problem is much deeper; such a child has an underdeveloped emotional sphere. He simply has nothing to love. Being in the spotlight all the time, he did not learn to trust his feelings and the child did not develop a sincere interest in other people.

Another option is when parents “protect” their child who has hit the threshold in this way: “Oh, what a bad threshold, it offended our boy!” From childhood, a child is taught that everyone around him is to blame for his troubles.

What to do. Again, it is necessary to start with the parents, for whom it is also time to grow up and stop seeing their child as a toy, an object of adoration. A child is an independent, autonomous person who, in order to develop, needs to be in the real world, and not the world invented by his parents.

The child must see and experience the whole gamut of feelings and emotions without running away or suppressing them. And the task of parents is to learn to respond adequately to the manifestation of emotions, not to prohibit, not to calm unnecessarily, but to sort out all the situations that caused negative emotions.

It is not at all necessary that someone else is “bad” and that’s why your child is crying, look at the situation as a whole, what your child did wrong, teach him not to focus on himself, but to meet people halfway, showing sincere interest in them and find ways out of difficult situations without blaming others and yourself. But for this, as I already wrote, parents themselves need to grow up.

Mistake 4. Clear guidelines and rules

Most parents find it very convenient when an obedient child grows up nearby, clearly following the instructions “do this”, “don’t do that”, “don’t be friends with this boy”, “in this case do this”, etc.

They believe that all education is about command and submission. But they don’t think at all that they are depriving the child of the ability to think independently and take responsibility for his actions.

As a result, they raise a soulless and thoughtless robot who needs clear instructions. And then they themselves suffer from the fact that if they didn’t say something, the child didn’t do it. Here, not only the volitional, but also the emotional sphere is suppressed, because the child does not need to notice the emotional states of both his own and other people, and it becomes the norm for him to act only according to instructions. The child lives in constant obsessiveness and complete emotional neglect.

What does this lead to? A person does not learn to think and becomes unable to think on his own, he constantly needs someone who will give him clear instructions on what, how and when to do, he will always have others to blame, those who did not “correct” his behavior, did not say what to do and how to proceed.

Such people will never show initiative and will always wait for clear and specific instructions. They will not be able to solve any complex problems.

What to do in such cases? Learn to trust your child, even if he does something wrong, you will simply sort out the situation later and find the right solution together, together, and not for him. Talk to your child more, ask him to express his opinion, don’t make fun of him if you don’t like his opinion.

And most importantly, do not criticize, but analyze the situation, what was done wrong and how it could have been done differently, constantly asking for the child’s opinion. In other words, the child must be taught to think and reflect.

Mistake 5. “I myself know what the child needs”

This error is a variation of the fourth error. And it lies in the fact that parents do not listen to the true desires of the child. The child’s wishes are perceived as momentary whims, but this is not quite the same thing.

Whims are fleeting desires, but true desires are what a child dreams of. The purpose of such parental behavior is for the child to realize what the parents themselves could not realize (options include family traditions, fictional images of the future child). By and large, they make a “second self” out of the child.

Once upon a time, in childhood, such parents dreamed of becoming musicians, famous athletes, great mathematicians, and now they are trying to realize their childhood dreams through their child. As a result, the child cannot find a favorite activity for himself, and if he does find it, then the parents take it with hostility: “I know better what you need, so you will do what I tell you.”

What does this lead to? Moreover, the child will never have a goal at all, he will never learn to understand his desires, and will always be dependent on the desires of others and is unlikely to achieve any success in realizing the desires of his parents. He will always feel “out of place.”

What to do. Learn to listen to your child’s wishes, be interested in what he dreams of, what attracts him, teach him to express his desires out loud. Observe what attracts your child, what he enjoys doing. Never compare your child with others.

Remember, the desire for your child to become a musician, artist, famous athlete, mathematician - these are your desires, not the child's. Trying to instill your desires in a child, you will make him deeply unhappy or achieve the opposite result.

Mistake 6. “Boys don’t cry”

The inability of the parents themselves to express their emotions leads to the fact that the child’s emotions begin to be suppressed. There is a ban on strong experiences of positive and negative emotions corresponding to the real situation, since the parents themselves do not know how to react to them.

And if you don’t know something, then often the choice is made towards leaving or prohibiting it. As a result, by forbidding the child to express his emotions, parents by and large forbid the child to feel, and ultimately, to live life to the fullest.

What does this lead to? Growing up, a child cannot understand himself, and he needs a “guide” who will explain to him what he feels. He will trust this person and completely depend on his opinion. This is where conflicts arise between a man’s mother and wife.

The mother will say one thing, and the wife another, and each will prove that exactly what she says is what the man feels. As a result, the man simply steps aside, giving the women the opportunity to “sort things out” among themselves.

What is really happening to him, he does not know and will follow the decision of the one who wins this war. As a result, he will always live someone else's life, but not his own, and when he does not get to know himself.

What to do. Allow your child to cry, laugh, express himself emotionally, do not rush to reassure him in this way: “Okay, okay, everything will work out,” “boys don’t cry,” etc. When a child is in pain, do not hide from his feelings, make it clear that you would also be in pain in a similar situation, and you understand him.

Show empathy, let the child get acquainted with the whole range of feelings without suppression. If he is happy about something, rejoice with him, if he is sad, listen to what worries him. Show interest in your child's inner life.

Mistake 7. Transferring your emotional state to the child

Often parents transfer their unsettledness and dissatisfaction with life onto the child. This is expressed in constant nagging, raising the voice, and sometimes simply lashing out at the child.

The child becomes hostage to the parent's dissatisfaction and is unable to resist him. This leads to the child “switching off”, suppressing his emotional sphere and choosing psychological protection from the parent “withdrawal”.

What does this lead to? Growing up, the child stops “hearing”, closes down, and often simply forgets what was said to him, perceiving any words addressed to him as an attack. He has to repeat the same thing ten times before he hears or gives any feedback.

From the outside, this looks like indifference or disregard for the words of others. It is difficult to come to an understanding with such a person, because he never expresses his opinion, and more often than not this opinion simply does not exist.

What to do. Remember: it is not your child’s fault that your life is not going the way you want. The fact that you don't get what you want is your problem, not his fault. If you need to let off steam, find more environmentally friendly ways - polish the floors, rearrange the furniture, go to the pool, increase physical activity.

Uncleaned toys and unwashed dishes are not the reason for your breakdown, but only the reason, the reason is within you. In the end, teaching your child to tidy up toys and wash dishes is your responsibility.

I showed only the main errors, but there are many more.

The main condition for your child not to grow up infantile is to recognize him as an independent and free person, show your trust and sincere love (not to be confused with adoration), support, not violence.

Dissatisfaction with its previous understanding is due, firstly, to the fact that, when dealing with mental pathology, psychiatrists inevitably included its most common manifestations in mental infantilism. Infantilism, in particular, included such manifestations of uncriticality as superficiality of judgment or such a variant of emotional deficiency as lack of interest in establishing family and marital relationships, while these signs may well be explained by psychopathological diathesis, the prevalence of which in the population is extremely high. Secondly, to define infantilism, summary descriptive concepts were used that reflect a set of psychological (and microsocial) characteristics, such as “irresponsibility” and “lack of independence.” Accordingly, they may have different explanations. The use of such concepts, even if justified for assessing statistical material, is of little use for analyzing the essence of infantilism. In the application of clinicians, the concepts of identification, self-awareness and self-esteem, motivation, borrowed from psychologists, are very vague, in which what is desired or expected by the individual is differently correlated with his critical assessment of the real. Amorphous concepts leave little substantiated conclusions about infantilism as a variant of “underdevelopment.”

When does infantilism become a disease?

Many adults find the unusual behavior of some children funny and appropriate for the child's current developmental stage. For a long time, mental infantilism in many families can be perceived as the norm or creative dissent of a growing child. Parents who constantly pamper their child, trying to please him in everything, do not even notice how they introduce into the child’s behavioral norms the endless satisfaction of even the most insignificant needs, maintaining soft tones and being too almond-y about any reason. There is another picture of childhood infantilism, caused by a delay in the mental development of children. And this is due to various reasons and factors.

Mental infantilism syndrome

Mental infantilism syndrome is a broad concept that includes a number of different mental disorders related to personal immaturity, with a pronounced lag in the emotional-volitional sphere. Such children are easy to identify in groups. And not only in terms of behavior, but also in terms of the level of perception and analysis of current events, mastering the school curriculum, contacting peers, identifying oneself in society, positioning oneself as an individual.

Options for mental infantilism:

true (based on delayed development of the frontal lobes of the brain);
general (the child is poorly developed, looks younger than his age both socially and physically);
improper upbringing (parents turn a child, normal from birth, into a mentally immature individual with their egocentrism).

For some children, parents deliberately allow them to remain in a state that can be described as childishness. There are families where the adopted manners of communication with children who have reached a sufficiently mature age are at the level of infants; and already quite elderly parents speak and behave with their older children in funny children's sayings. Such big children are allowed to conduct conversations in an “unctuous” voice; speech defects are encouraged, which are acceptable at an early age. Grown-up children categorically refuse to pronounce simple word forms correctly, constantly “lisping”, trying to appear still small and very vulnerable. This behavior should alert parents and those closest to them. Unless, of course, the parents themselves try to keep the child in a similar state, enjoying his childish spontaneity.

Perhaps, it is precisely this variant of mental infantilism that brings the greatest harm to a person who is healthy from birth, forming an asocial element out of him, sometimes for the rest of his life. Such children have a harder time with the passing of their loved ones; it seems to them that they remain lonely and abandoned. They rarely create families, make real friendships, and often pose a big problem for the work collective. And this seems completely absurd - normal physical development and undisguised childishness. Already after 5 years, a child whose development is artificially delayed gives the impression of a person with disturbances in the functioning of the centers of the brain.

Symptoms and signs of infantilism

Everyone needs to know and be able to track the characteristic symptoms of childhood infantilism, which signal a delay in the child’s development:

excessive timidity in ordinary everyday situations;
poor development of the muscular system;
thin bones that are not typical for a certain age;
delayed onset of puberty in adolescents;
reduced size of the genital organs;
weak libido or no libido in adults;
women have infrequent and painful menstruation;
lack of sexual desires;
scanty body hair;
tendency to obesity;
impotence in men;
delayed bone age, especially the bones of the thoracic and pelvic regions;
inability to perform acceptable physical activity;
voice immaturity in teenage boys;
increased anxiety;
excessive coquetry, sometimes very inept.

Infantilism in adults, unless, of course, it is caused by pathologies of the brain, can be characterized as defensive reactions to subjective stimuli from the external objective world.

An adult, avoiding a high degree of responsibility, conflicts, making choices in ambiguous situations, often prefers to withdraw himself and shift the solution to a dilemma or complex issue to someone else, pretending to be incompetent, sometimes even weak-minded. Often in our society, such people are actually given a head start or are simply relieved of responsibility. By pretending to be like this, a person unwittingly remains in the mask of a fool for a long period of time. He gets used to the role, remaining in it for a long time, and then he no longer knows where he is and what he is. This behavior is most typical for men.

Factors causing mental infantilism can be:

congenital anomalies of intrauterine development;
hormonal disorders of early age;
tumor processes of the meninges;
severe illnesses in parents (alcoholism, syphilis, prolonged intoxication, renal failure);
infectious diseases suffered at an early age;
strong psychological pressure on children (for example, in religious sects and even educational institutions);
social influence (substitution of concepts and generally accepted norms of behavior in the family, computer addiction).

Treatment of infantilism

Treatment of such a complex disease as mental infantilism, which is complex, must begin with determining the main cause that caused it. Perhaps, by eliminating this cause, there will be a chance of successfully overcoming infantilism as such.

In cases where the disease is severely advanced and there are congenital causes, you can try to create new living conditions for the patient, qualitatively change his life, so that he has a reassessment of values, a rethinking of his existence, and begins to independently identify interesting abilities that will help self-development.

The main drugs prescribed by endocrinologists for sexual infantilism are the corresponding sex hormones, which the patient takes for a fairly long period under the supervision of a doctor.

An important role is played by general strengthening measures, exercise therapy, active sports, and daily physical activity.

For many children, the climate of their place of residence is often unsuitable. It can be extremely difficult, sometimes impossible, for parents to solve this problem. Such a child should get healthy at sea as often as possible, breathe mountain air, and eat natural food rich in fiber, vitamins, and microelements. In addition to a nutritious diet, parents should spend more time with such a child, constantly trying to develop him, teaching him to read, express his thoughts beautifully, and observe wildlife. Often a dog or cat in the house can work a miracle, helping with their mere presence to strengthen memory, sense organs, improve concentration, body tone, becoming a true friend and example for such a family member.

Possible dangerous consequences

Observation of children and adults suffering from mental infantilism should be transferred to a serious, long-term basis, since sometimes such people can pose a threat to society. Some of them are capable of various deviations, including self-harm and physical harm to others. Cases of suicide among such people cannot be ruled out. The doctor and loved ones should pay close attention to their behavioral reactions.

Unfortunately, growing up, such children try to “catch up” for lost time, sometimes carrying out acts of retaliation against their immediate environment and random people who fall under their hot hand. Many serial maniacs exhibited mental immaturity.

Sometimes physically weak, infantile people set themselves the goal of catching up and surpassing a rather significant person in society. It would be good if this person was someone from the field of cinema or show business, and not from the cruel criminal world.

Psychological infantilism

Types of infantilism

In the already classic film “Dust” with Pyotr Mamonov, the main character, an adult man named Alexei, is an excellent example of an infantile character. Living with his grandmother, unable to solve a single more or less serious problem, he habitually runs through life at his grandmother’s cry of “Alyosha!”, voluntarily surrendering himself to other people’s opinions, other people’s decisions. You may have watched this film - it’s easy for you to imagine what infantilism is, ideally performed. Maybe you haven't enjoyed acting yet. It doesn’t matter, there are plenty of people around who suffer from infantilism. Much more than most people think.

Infantility is inhibition of the development of the emotional-volitional sphere, “childishness” is childish personal characteristics imprisoned in the shell of a person who is already obliged to outgrow them. There are four groups of infantilism:

The last two classes relate to mental infantilism, and will not be considered by us. The first pair is part of psychological infantilism. The external manifestations of both types are almost similar. Then what are the differences? In the reasons. A certain physiological dysfunction is responsible for mental infantilism; psychotherapeutic methods do not work in this case. With brain disorders, they are infantile and would like to be mature individuals, but they cannot.

Psychological infantilism is a consequence of improper upbringing, annoying mistakes, for which both the infantile’s parents and the “child” himself are responsible, who cannot find where the motivation to become a mature person is buried - not only in the passport, but also in fact .

Simple infantilism

Characterized by relatively uniform developmental delay (mental, physical). Typically, such infantiles lag behind their peers in personal, emotional and volitional terms by 1-3 years. Will and emotions act as the “locomotive” of the delay, then personal qualities are brought in.

All this responds in behavior and social adaptability. Infantile children look younger than their peers. Not being deprived of intelligence, they are distinguished by a lively, but very unstable and superficial interest in life. Despite their gaming endurance, when projecting intellectual qualities onto more serious tasks, they get lost and quickly get tired. In this regard, a number of problems arise when entering school and subsequent studies - neurotic reactions are an obstacle to mastering subjects.

Neurotic manifestations of harmonious infantilism usually melt or disappear by the age of ten. However, final normalization does not occur without conscious adjustment of mental characteristics - infantilism enters a phase of personal disharmony. This type of infantile is relatively rare.

Disharmonic infantilism

It is distinguished by a union of symptoms of harmonious infantilism with character traits that manifest themselves in a pathological form. Thus, disharmonious infantiles are characterized by boasting, affective excitability, deceit, a desire for excesses, capriciousness, and selfishness. These “pleasant” qualities can show themselves even in very early “youth” - at 1-2 years of life. The child shows himself to be stubborn, seeks to offend, and tries to insist on his own.

In general, the age dynamics and structure of this type give grounds to speak of it as a phase of emerging psychopathy.

Manifestations of infantilism

Infants can be compared to children. These are people stuck at a convenient age who care little about adult problems. Usually, when talking about infantility, they mean men. Society is accustomed to perceiving women as creatures who can be forgiven for their weaknesses, unwillingness and inability to bear responsibility for many everyday actions. Many women are not eager to delve into family problems related to finances and technical issues. Although this is not entirely correct - the weaker sex is “people too,” it is a fact: women can be forgiven for a lot in society.

Men are expected to have a completely different approach to life and to solving problems. It is rightly believed that the male sex must be strong, resilient, and skillful. This is where the “infantile” problem lies - eternal children are the complete opposite of the image of a man formed in the eyes of society. They are weak, easily fatigued, and are not adapted to solving problems.

Infants are not always 100% weaklings. The degree of intensity and form of infantilism can vary significantly. For example, a person can be quite successful in some area, but at the same time a complete child in the domestic sphere. This is especially true for people in creative professions. A highly intelligent and hardworking (and, therefore, strong-willed) actor, for example, on the family front can be an absolutely passive and weak-willed creature, incapable and unmotivated to make decisions.

The opposite example. The most golden-armed techie who magically solves any “Kulibino” problems does not necessarily set an example of masculinity in other areas. So, there are a lot of examples of conventional plumbers and electricians around - disgusting time managers, absolutely short-sighted individuals who are unable to see the future and, most importantly, set big goals, especially those that go beyond the purely technical area.

Infantilism is a manifestation of cowardice, solving problems using childish methods (I will do this - I’m interested, I won’t do this - I don’t want to). Of course, anyone who delegates their work to other people should not be considered childish. Most often it is just a question of expediency. However, beyond the framework of rationality, such manifestations most likely speak of infantility.

Looking at a person, you cannot always immediately determine whether he is infantile. Yes, a severe form of “childishness” is immediately noticeable, but usually immaturity manifests itself at critical moments. In crisis situations, the infantile waits, does not gravitate towards making decisions, preferring to wait for the one who will take responsibility.

Psychological infantilism: what to do?

Childhood infantilism

On the one hand, it is easier to fight children’s infantilism - the psyche is more plastic, but on the other hand, adults are still more focused and prone to introspection. What mistakes should be avoided in raising a child in general and especially if he is already showing symptoms of infantilism?

Problem solving. The desire to protect a child from any troubles is by no means commendable. Children must smoothly come into contact with reality, which, in the absence of survival skills (in any form), will throw them overboard and make them suffer cruelly when a caring grandmother or a gentle mother is not nearby.
Sacrifice. “I live for the sake of children,” “my whole life is for the child.” What blatant stupidity! With good intentions... Self-sacrifice, like any other manifestation of love (charity, altruism), must be dressed in the armor of rationality. Thoughtless sacrifice towards children only leads to the habit of seeing everywhere a bowl with a blue border, on which everything is ready and tasty. Outside the family, alas, the fairy tale has a completely different color, so teach your child to value not only himself, but also those around him - this will protect him from infantilism.
Excessive praise. Affection, admiration and other manifestations of love in the “mi-mi-mi” format form a narcissistic person who practices the desire for permissiveness and elevation above others. In order not to raise an infantile, you need, as in everything, a balance - praise must be combined with constructive criticism.
Lack of initiative. Do you want to raise an infantile person? Limit your child to a strict framework of rules and instructions, discourage him from any initiative, and instill in him a fear of any deviation from the norms. Getting used to following directions, children become incapable of independent, quality thinking. They will always expect that someone is about to suggest a solution to a problem, whether it is from a school textbook or from the realities of life. Learn to trust your children, look for solutions together, and instill a love for developing your own, albeit erroneous, opinions.
Projecting emotions onto a child. By taking out emotions on children, we provoke them to close themselves off and withdraw into themselves. The future infant learns to perceive the world as a very hostile place, from the negative manifestations of which one can hide in an inner shell. Growing up, the victim of parental emotional breakdowns tries not to stick his head out towards society - inside it is more familiar and warm. The problems surrounding an infantile person are sidelined; people are just a reason to wrap up more seriously. Unfortunately, not a single problem can be solved this way - infantilism is destructive.

Adult infantilism

You grew up an infant, what should you do? We can say that there are three main types of infantiles: spoiled, rebel and downtrodden child-adult.

A spoiled person is an example of egocentrism, there is no one around him, the interests of others are nothing. If you recognize yourself, try to connect yourself with society, do not oppose yourself to it, learn to take into account the interests of people.
The rebel hates restrictions, is offended for any reason, and proves that he is right. Goes against the opinions of others, even if the stupidity of one’s own is obvious. Such people should finally accept the truth: the world is full of prohibitions that work for our benefit. You shouldn’t be hostile to other people’s ideas; mistakes are inevitable, and it’s impossible to be right in everything.
Downtrodden is the opposite of rebel. Considers any of his opinions to be erroneous, easily agrees with others, goes along with other people’s ideas, and is characterized by a lack of initiative. Downtrodden infants should learn to perceive themselves as individuals, increase self-esteem, and get rid of the fear of being the center of attention.

Well, if you are really sick of your problem and you are serious, you can really get rid of it, without psychologists and without even leaving home. In a matter of months. But this thing is not for whiners, so if you prefer to chew snot, you don’t need to download this technique, much less practice it. But if you are tired of the life of a victim, be sure to download it, and perhaps it will turn out that this is exactly what you have always been looking for.

Infantilism: what it is, symptoms and treatment of this disorder

Mental infantilism is a phenomenon that can be one of the symptoms of complex mental illnesses, and also manifests itself as an independent disorder of the emotional-volitional sphere. It lies in the fact that a person’s behavior does not correspond to his chronological age.

What is this condition

Mental infantilism means immaturity of the individual, as a result of which a person’s emotions and volitional acts do not correspond to his age, but are more reminiscent of the behavior of a child. These are ways of responding to a stimulus that are characteristic of a younger age, and not the one that a person currently has.

Infantilism refers not only to a disorder of emotions and will, but also to a lag in physical development. This phenomenon is called physiological infantilism. There are also mental and psychological lags in the work of the emotional-volitional sphere. Outwardly, these phenomena may appear the same, but their causes are different. Psychological infantilism occurs in children, people with a healthy psyche and intact cognitive processes. Such adults and children are not able to make independent decisions.

Mental infantilism syndrome refers to behavioral disorders. This is not an independent disease, but against the background of its development and external circumstances, difficulties may arise with raising a child and the reactions of an adult to the reality around him.

Risk factors for development

Mental infantilism is very closely related to psychological. These types of behavioral disorders affect children who, as a result of birth injuries and organic brain damage, grow up naive and do not correspond to their biological age.

This phenomenon occurs with the manifestation of complex mental illnesses, for example, oligophrenia, when cognitive processes suffer, the work of thinking is disrupted, and the person is not adapted to the world around him.

Causes

The main causes of mental infantilism include:

brain damage due to infectious diseases, hypoxia and asphyxia of the child in the birth canal, toxic effects on the brain, trauma;
genetic and constitutional predisposition of a person;
peculiarities of upbringing, when parents overprotect children, do not give them the right to make independent decisions, or despotic upbringing takes place.

Symptoms

Psychological and mental infantilism are characterized by almost identical manifestations. Among them are:

low ability for intellectual work, concentration of attention, but at the same time the energy does not dry out in games, the child does not get tired of playing;
immaturity of judgments, superficial judgments and associations predominate, more complex thought processes are not characteristic of infantile children and adults;
during volitional activity, the child may feel tired and his interests are unstable;
a person constantly needs a change of scenery, new impressions, thrills;
undeveloped independence and responsibility for behavior;
the person is inconsistent, spontaneous, and easily suggestible;
the mood of an infantile person (child) changes easily, is unstable, affective outbursts may occur, which soon end;
Irritability, egocentrism, whims, and the desire to receive 100% attention from others may appear.

Infantilism, acquired as a result of schizophrenia at an early age, manifests itself in personality changes, such as excessive negativism, mannerisms, low levels of emotional reactions, and autism.

Treatment

Depending on the causes of mental infantilism, treatment and corrective measures are prescribed. With this behavioral disorder, parents must reconsider their attitude towards the child. It needs to be set up to be independent, but this must be done gradually, constantly and correctly.

In case of pronounced deviations in behavior and emotional reactions, medications are prescribed along with psychotherapeutic measures.

Drug therapy

If mental abnormalities due to infantilism are too pronounced, experts recommend the use of medications such as:

neuroleptics, tranquilizers - affect the functioning of the central nervous system, thereby changing the mental state of a person;
antidepressants – affect a person’s emotional state;
nootropics - affect the cognitive functions of the brain, improve memory, mental activity, and promote learning.

Drug therapy for this disorder is also indicated to reduce the severity of its symptoms. Medications are used to treat the underlying mental illness if infantilism is a comorbid disorder.

Psychotherapy

Infantilism can be corrected with a properly organized individual approach to the patient. Most often, if it manifests itself at an older age, it is already difficult for a person to adapt to the social environment around him.

The sooner you turn to a specialist to overcome this pathology, the more likely the successful adaptation of such a person in society.

In psychotherapeutic practice, there are many methods for correcting infantilism. But the most effective are cognitive-behavioral and client-oriented techniques. The psychodynamic approach is also actively used.

The classic of psychoanalysis C. Jung considered infantilism in his works. He said that it is impossible to educate a person without being an educated person.

The psychodynamic approach is focused on the development of integrity and personality certainty. Using psychoanalysis, a psychotherapist works with a person on the causes of this disorder, laid down in childhood.

Infantilism lends itself well to correction using cognitive-behavioral methods. They are used for behavioral disorders for various reasons. In case of organic brain damage, it is possible to correct the pathology by teaching a person to behave correctly in society and to react adequately emotionally. If infantilism manifests itself in a child, the specialist teaches and gives recommendations to parents on the basics of raising such children.

Infantilism has different causes and consequences for a person. On the part of parents, it is important not to show excessive custody of the child, and also to give him love and care in moderation, not to be despotic - this will eliminate the manifestation of a psychological disorder in the emotional-volitional sphere. If this syndrome manifests itself for other reasons, it is important to contact a psychotherapist or psychiatrist as soon as possible for its treatment.

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Causes

Classification

Symptoms

Diagnostics

Treatment

Mental infantilism

Psychological infantilism

How does infantilism appear?

How does infantilism manifest?

What does infantilism look like?

What to do

Mistake 1. Sacrifice

Mistake 2. “I’ll clear the clouds with my hands” or I’ll solve all the problems for you

Error 3. Excessive love, expressed in constant admiration, affection, elevation above others and permissiveness

Mistake 4. Clear guidelines and rules

Mistake 5. “I myself know what the child needs”

Mistake 6. “Boys don’t cry”

Mistake 7. Transferring your emotional state to the child

When does infantilism become a disease?

Mental infantilism syndrome

Symptoms and signs of infantilism

Treatment of infantilism

Possible dangerous consequences

Psychological infantilism

Types of infantilism

Simple infantilism

Disharmonic infantilism

Manifestations of infantilism

Psychological infantilism: what to do?

Childhood infantilism

Adult infantilism

Infantilism: what it is, symptoms and treatment of this disorder

What is this condition

Risk factors for development

Causes

Symptoms

Treatment

Drug therapy

Psychotherapy

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