Dysfunctional Environments: What Is a Dysfunctional Environment?

by Swansea Photographer

Article by Oliver Cooper

When it comes to describing a Dysfunctional Environment, it may possibly support us to also look at what a functional environment may well look like.

Functional Environment

A functional environment then would be an location that is conducive to growth. Somewhere that not only supports and encourages an individual to be themselves, but also allows them to.

Here, one particular can express who they are and really feel safe doing so. Positive feelings and thoughts are also a lot more probably to take place in this environment.

Dysfunctional Environment

The dysfunctional environment on the other hand would be somewhere that does not enable for the above to occur. Exactly where the individual does not feel supported or acknowledged in anyway, let alone in a way that honours who they are. This may be an environment that forces one particular to constantly compromise their values and themselves.

The word door mat comes to mind here with boundaries becoming nonexistent in this environment. Feeling and thinking negatively is also one thing that might appear to just take place coming on like a parasite, with no reason or warning. Despair is also an additional widespread consequence from being in this kind of environment.

Conscious And Unconscious Environments

With both of these examples we can see that one particular is an environment that could be classed as conscious and the other is an environment that is the complete opposite.

By this I mean that the dysfunctional environment is an environment where behaviour and the effects of that behaviour go unnoticed. The folks in the environment have little, to, no awareness of their actions or to the damage, which is becoming carried out physically, emotionally or mentally.

Standing Up

Maybe if one particular were to comment or mention how they felt to the individual or persons in the environment, they may well be dismissed or ignored. This of course all depends on how dysfunctional the environment is.

The Frog Metaphor

This is a story that is beneficial in explaining the insidious nature of the dysfunctional environment.

It is about a frog that is put in a pan and is cooked so gradually that it does not know or notice the difference in temperature. And soon after this slow rise, the frog dies. It was oblivious to what was happening and its imminent death. It became comfy and numb to what it was experiencing.

So How Does This Relate To Dysfunctional Environments?

Within this environment one particular will notice at very first that it is draining to them. Even so unless one particular takes the actions to break away or steps out of the environment so that it can be observed from one more perspective, they may possibly start off to feel comfortable within this environment. With their original state of thoughts and aliveness rapidly becoming a distant memory.

Now this could be simply because of a gradual drip feed method or the slow cooking approach mentioned above. It may also be due to the fact it is an environment that feels comfy and secure to them as absurd as this sounds. It is reminding them of their history and what hasn’t been looked at.

Is This How It Is?

One may possibly have never been in a functional environment. This makes it tough in seeing contrast and in becoming in a position to compare it to other environments in their life. One might believe that this is how life is and that there is no such thing as a ‘functional environment’ or that it really is not doable for them.

History

We all have our own history, some parts that are probably to bring us feelings of happiness and other parts that may possibly cause feelings of anger or resentment. This is history that will not just disappear it has to be faced in some way. That could be by directly facing one thing or by the assistance of a therapist for example.

Pulled To Our Past

We will naturally be drawn into environments that are thoughts unconsciously associates as getting what is secure to us. These environments won’t constantly be areas that empower or honour who we are. They will be environments that mirror the behaviours, feelings and thoughts of our childhood.

Associations

This is because of the nature of the thoughts and how it gets attached and creates attachments. What was experienced as a kid becomes what is familiar and secure to the ego mind regardless of if it is functional or not. If these associations are functional and advantageous, then what will subsequently occur is 1 will generally finish up in environments that are at least moderately healthy and functional.

Unhealthy Associations

Nonetheless if these are associations that are not so wholesome or functional one particular is likely to locate that they are ending up in the very same environments. Environments that are disempowering and don’t reflect what they consciously want or what their heart calls for. Where their power is getting taken and no power is becoming returned.

The Childhood Atmosphere

Above I have mentioned about our later environments mirroring the behaviours feelings and thoughts of our childhood environment if they have not been processed.

Widespread themes of those years will continue to appear and play out in our present day environments. These might be themes that our unique to us challenges that just seem to appear more than and more than once more.

A Current Study

I recently read about a group of rat pups that were genetically predisposed to be much more fearful than other strains of rats. If these rats had been left with their biological mothers, they had been most likely to be fearful and stressed. Nevertheless right after placing these rat pups with other rat mothers that had been not fearful they grew up without having fear.

The Power Of The Atmosphere

Now these may be rats that were talking about here, but what this shows is the power of the environment in shaping how we see ourselves and in who we grow to be.

There is always talk of nature vs. nurture and on the effect genetics have on life, even so via the study of epigenetic’s genes have been found to need a trigger to be activated and that trigger is the environment. It is the environment that is generating the distinction.

Selecting Our Environments

Choosing our environments and for that reason the men and women we have in our life and invest our time with is extremely crucial to our own wellbeing and in achieving our dreams.

The organic tendency of our mind will be to return to what feels comfy and to what is familiar.

Who We Are

What occurred in or childhood or what has occurred in our past does not have to define our life or who we are. That is a thing we can do in each and every moment of our life.

A lot more Environment Articles