Does experience of emotional invalidation in childhood lead to growth – a qualitative enquiry using Interpretative phenomenological analysis

Vollständiger Abstract

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Abstract Background There is ample research literature to establish the link between childhood adverse experiences and development of psychological vulnerability in the individual. However, there is less academic focus on more subtle and “silent” forms of childhood adverse experience such as emotional invalidation, which is equally, if not more, potent to detrimentally affect the thought, emotion and behaviour of the child. Further, the research focuses on the aftermath of adverse childhood experiences which is skewed in the direction of maladaptive consequences of such experiences. This research tries to explore how adult individuals with childhood experience of emotional invalidation have been able to reconstruct their self-appraisal and world view which is indicative of psychological growth. Method The participants consist of 5 adult individuals (4 females and 1 male) within the age range of 24 – 40 years with no history of significant emotional / interpersonal / occupational maladjustment and self-reported experiences of adverse childhood experiences in the form of emotional invalidation. The participants had self-reported experiences of adverse childhood experiences in the form of emotional invalidation. They were recruited through snowball sampling. In-depth interviews were conducted individually with each of the participants (time and venue of interview as per their choice) to explore the personal journey and meaning making in the process of adapting to emotional invalidation in childhood. Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (Smith et al., 2021) was used to analyze and interpret the data. Results & Discussion The results reveal that survivors of emotional invalidation in childhood have been able to achieve a positive adaptation with life through their ability to actively disengage from the traumatic experience of Emotional Invalidation by transformation of self and conscious acknowledgment of certain deficits induced by the trauma. Their identity is no longer defined solely in terms of their “victimhood” but rather, in terms of newer possibilities in life or relating to others, personal strength, spiritual change and appreciation of life.