YOUR INNER CHILD: WHAT IS IT, WHAT'S UP WITH IT AND DOES IT NEED HEALING?
BBC Science Focus|October 2022
Recent online articles have listed the signs that reveal your inner child is wounded, or that your inner child needs healing. But is there any real psychology behind this?
DR CHRISTIAN JARRETT
YOUR INNER CHILD: WHAT IS IT, WHAT'S UP WITH IT AND DOES IT NEED HEALING?

Have you noticed the spate of advice articles claiming to help you tap into your inner child'? Some of them suggest this inner infant could be to blame for your relationship troubles, and there are others that promise to show you ways to start 'healing the wounds' your child within may have suffered. Online influencers are apparently tuned into the trend - you can find many of them posting photos of themselves riding tricycles or doing other seemingly childish things alongside boasts that they're tapping into their inner child. 

So, what's this all about - do we really have such a thing as an 'inner child'? And do you need to heal it?

WHAT IS AN INNER CHILD?

The answer is that it depends on who you ask, and on whether you're being literal or metaphorical. A hard-nosed neuroscientist might dismiss the idea of an inner child as fanciful. But in other fields the notion of an inner child is long established. Both Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung referred to an inner child' in their writings, and for several decades now, many serious schools of psychotherapy have taught that, as adults, we have a child within. The late US self-help evangelist and best-selling author John Bradshaw also gave the concept a popular boost with his 1990 book Homecoming: Reclaiming And Championing Your Inner Child.

WHAT DO PSYCHOLOGISTS SAY?

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der October 2022-Ausgabe von BBC Science Focus.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der October 2022-Ausgabe von BBC Science Focus.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

WEITERE ARTIKEL AUS BBC SCIENCE FOCUSAlle anzeigen
CHANGE THE (BODY) CLOCKS
BBC Science Focus

CHANGE THE (BODY) CLOCKS

Why the end of British Summer Time can be a wake-up call for our circadian health

time-read
3 Minuten  |
September 2024
ARE OCTOPUSES SENTIENT?
BBC Science Focus

ARE OCTOPUSES SENTIENT?

If you've watched the Netflix documentary My Octopus Teacher or been lucky enough to encounter an octopus in the wild, you'll know there's something special about them.

time-read
2 Minuten  |
September 2024
THE MEXICAN MOLE LIZARD
BBC Science Focus

THE MEXICAN MOLE LIZARD

Imagine what would happen if an earthworm, a lizard, a snake and a mole went on a night out, had too much too much tequila and let their guard down.

time-read
2 Minuten  |
September 2024
Do we finally know how the Egyptian Pyramids were built?
BBC Science Focus

Do we finally know how the Egyptian Pyramids were built?

A number of breakthrough studies are beginning to paint a picture of how these wonders of the world were built, but much of the story still remains a mystery...

time-read
5 Minuten  |
September 2024
ECLIPSES ON DEMAND
BBC Science Focus

ECLIPSES ON DEMAND

Inside an unassuming building, behind a damp car park in Antwerp, Belgium, scientists are teaching two spacecraft to be dance partners for a performance that will take place in front of the Sun.

time-read
10 Minuten  |
September 2024
How light's 'secret code' reveals the story of the cosmos
BBC Science Focus

How light's 'secret code' reveals the story of the cosmos

The starlight we can see tells us alot about the Universe, but it's the parts we can't see that contain the biggest revelations

time-read
3 Minuten  |
September 2024
An artificial heart inspired by plumbing
BBC Science Focus

An artificial heart inspired by plumbing

Mechanical circulation could revolutionise transplant design and reduce waiting lists

time-read
1 min  |
September 2024
Major Stonehenge discovery deepens mystery around ancient monument
BBC Science Focus

Major Stonehenge discovery deepens mystery around ancient monument

New findings suggest a key six-tonne stone came from over 450 miles north of the circle

time-read
2 Minuten  |
September 2024
THE UNEXPECTED RETURN OF PNEUMATIC TUBES
BBC Science Focus

THE UNEXPECTED RETURN OF PNEUMATIC TUBES

Once a pioneering technology that revolutionised deliveries, pneumatic tubes had all but disappeared. Now they're back and enjoying a resurgence

time-read
3 Minuten  |
September 2024
LIVING FOSSILS
BBC Science Focus

LIVING FOSSILS

FOR SOME CREATURES ALIVE TODAY TIME HAS ALMOST STOOD STILL. MEET THE 'LIVING FOSSILS' THAT GIVE US A GLIMPSE INTO LIFE IN THE DISTANT PAST

time-read
6 Minuten  |
September 2024