 Number one, the other person only focuses on themselves. If someone in your life only thinks about themselves and doesn't consider you and your feelings, then you might be struggling with emotional neglect. Does this person listen to you when you talk to them? Do they share your accomplishments and celebrate with you? Are they there for you when you feel down or are struggling? If you feel like they routinely ignore you and your needs, but then beg you for your attention, then that is a problem. If their life and their needs are the center of attention, then there's someone who focuses on themselves over most everyone else. It seems like they're the center of their own world and you can feel like a simple sideshow. Please know that no one has any right to make you feel this way. You are important and valid too. Who you are, what you feel and what you have to say are all worth talking about. Number two, the relationship lacks affection. Does your relationship with this person lack a certain amount of affection? Do they invite you into a comforting gesture like a long hug from a family member or holding your hand as their partner? If this person feels cold and distant and they're literally giving you the cold shoulder, this could be a sign of emotional neglect. Comforting gestures and physical affection are what helps bond you to someone. It's a physical way to connect with someone and if that part is missing in your relationship with this person, then your relationship with them can suffer. Number three, the relationship lacks communication. Does this person shut you down when you try to talk to them? Do they give you the silent treatment? They might shut you down, ignore you or even leave the room when you try to discuss any issues with them or conversations can feel really one sided and spaced out. Talks with them can feel few and far between and they don't really work towards resolution if there is a problem between the two of you. When they're angry with you, they don't express themselves or tell you why they're upset with you. This person could rather just give you the silent treatment and let you suffer in that silence. Wondering exactly what it is that's upset them. This behavior is toxic and manipulative and does lend itself to emotional neglect. After all, how can you connect with and be fulfilled by someone who rarely reciprocates? Number four, you feel resentment towards them. Are you feeling resentment towards your partner, a family member or a close friend? Is this resentment new or has it been building for a long time? If you recognize that there is a feeling of resentment towards someone in your life, emotional neglect could be the reason why. This kind of resentment should be addressed if applicable. Keeping those negative feelings to yourself can really hurt you in the long run. You might need more support or validation from this person who hasn't been giving it to you properly. Maybe you want more positive, vocal support from your partner or maybe you want your mom or dad to talk with you more openly and honestly. Either way, you most likely have resentment because of an emotional need that was neglected. How do you think you can absolve your resentment with your loved one? Number five, you choose to confide in others before you talk to them. Do you hesitate to tell this person good news or even bad news? Do you go to someone or anyone else before you choose to tell that particular person? You might be acting this way because you have an emotional need that isn't being met. You've realized that this person isn't going to give you the support or reaction you need. So you seek out that reaction from other people first. It's a way to seek external validation outside of your relationship with that particular person who is not giving you what you need emotionally. Number six, there is no fighting. Bites and disagreements are part of life and you aren't going to get along with everybody. There might be some friction in your relationship but have the two of you talked about it or even argued about it. When you fight with someone, it requires a willingness to challenge each other. It highlights the ability to tolerate anger, whether it's your anger or their anger and requires some element of emotional connection. Emotional connection is the opposite of emotional neglect. If that willingness to argue and offer up emotional connection isn't there, then you could be suffering from emotional neglect. You might be feeling really hurt over how your emotional needs aren't being met. You might need to talk about hidden issues or get angry and upset with this person. And that's okay. You and your feelings are still valid even if you're upset. Getting it off your chest is better than keeping all that resentment locked inside. And number seven, you feel lonely. Did you know that loneliness is one of the biggest signs of emotional neglect? There is no worse feeling than the kind of loneliness that is experienced when you're in a relationship with someone, be that a family member, close friend or romantic partner. You can be sitting right next to them and still feel so alone. And that is a terrible thing. This person seems so great too. They might have a good sense of humor or share a lot of your common interests or they have a kind nature but you can still feel alone. Your relationship lacks emotional substance and connection. Emotional connection is the foundation of a relationship. When the connection is weak, you can start to feel empty inside. Do you think you could be struggling with emotional neglect? What other emotional needs do you think aren't being met in your life? Have any tips for us? Let us know in the comments below. Please like and share this video if it helped you and you think it could help someone else too. The studies and references used are listed in the description below. Don't forget to hit the subscribe button for more Psych2Go videos and thank you for watching. We'll see you next time.