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What is psychological invalidation?
Invalidation, then, is the rejection or dismissal of a person’s thoughts, feelings, emotions, and behaviours as being valid and understandable. Invalidation can cause significant damage or upset to a person’s psychological health and well-being.
How do you deal with psychological invalidation?
Other ways you can avoid emotional invalidation is to:
- avoid becoming defensive.
- not offer unsolicited advice.
- accept responsibility for the emotion when appropriate.
What is it called when someone invalidates your feelings?
Emotional invalidation is the act of dismissing or rejecting someone’s thoughts, feelings, or behaviors. It says to someone: “Your feelings don’t matter. Your feelings are wrong.”
What does it mean to invalidate someone’s feelings?
The definition of invalidate or specifically psychological invalidation is basically when you tell someone that they shouldn’t feel the way that they’re feeling and their emotions aren’t real using invalidating statements. This is hurtful to the other person. Validation is a critical part of our emotional experiences.
What is traumatic invalidation and how can you avoid it?
Traumatic invalidation is basically when you refuse to acknowledge and person’s emotional response to a trauma that they experienced. Traumatic invalidation occurs either when you refuse to validate or accept the person’s emotional response to the trauma, or when you refuse to acknowledge the trauma itself.
Why is psychological invalidation so difficult to recognize?
Because it can be so subtle, many people do not know when psychological invalidation is happening, or worse, think that it is normal. Furthermore, emotionally dismissive people may not recognize their behavior, which makes it all the more insidious. What Is Psychological Invalidation? Learn More About Psychological Invalidation Today
What is the difference between intentional and unintentional invalidation?
Intentional invalidators often defend their actions with accusatory statements and victim blaming; it is not them that is the issue, it is the victim who is in the wrong. A person who unintentionally invalidates, on the other hand, maybe uncomfortable dealing with another person’s feelings.