Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents: How to Heal from Distant, Rejecting, or Self-Involved Parents

By Lindsay C. Gibson

A New York Times bestseller--with 1.5 million copies sold!

If you grew up with an emotionally immature, unavailable, or selfish parent, you may have lingering feelings of anger, loneliness, betrayal, or abandonment. You may recall your childhood as a time when your emotional needs were not met, when your feelings were dismissed, or when you took on adult levels of responsibility in an effort to compensate for your parent's behavior. These wounds can be healed, and you can move forward in your life.

In this breakthrough book, clinical psychologist Lindsay Gibson exposes the destructive nature of parents who are emotionally immature or unavailable. You will see how these parents create a sense of neglect, and discover ways to heal from the pain and confusion caused by your childhood. By freeing yourself from your parents' emotional immaturity, you can recover your true nature, control how you react to them, and avoid disappointment. Finally, you'll learn how to create positive, new relationships so you can build a better life.

Discover the four types of difficult parents:

  • The emotional parent instills feelings of instability and anxiety
  • The driven parent stays busy trying to perfect everything and everyone
  • The passive parent avoids dealing with anything upsetting
  • The rejecting parent is withdrawn, dismissive, and derogatory

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Published Jun 1, 2015

216 pages

Average rating: 8.47

159 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

thereadingbanshee
Jun 01, 2026
8/10 stars
Really interesting and helpful book!
It's always nice to put words that feel right to you on things you experience :)

The only point I didn't appreciated is in the (seventh?) chapter : i felt the description and portrayal of the 2 different way of functionning brought by the author wasn't the best and a bit moralizing. I think it would have been more accessible if more neutral and/or nuanced.

The last two or three chapters i really enjoyed and felt truly helpful to me.
Nayri
Oct 07, 2025
10/10 stars
Complete validation and great coping skills. Taking notes
Ava Robbins
Sep 14, 2025
10/10 stars
This was so enlightening
GarlicBreadandBook_Lover
Aug 27, 2025
4/10 stars
I felt validated for my upbringing and why I often felt misunderstood.
bekyves237
Jun 29, 2025
8/10 stars
Very insightful

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