When it comes to describing a dysfunctional environment, it may help us to also look at what a practical environment may look like. A functional environment afterward; would be a place that’s conducive to growth. Somewhere that not only supports and motivates someone to be themselves, but also enables them to. Here, an individual can express who they are and feel safe doing this.
Positive feelings and ideas are also more likely to happen in this environment. The dysfunctional environment, on the other hand, could be someplace that does not allow for the above to occur. Where the individual does not feel encouraged or recognized in any way, let alone in a manner that honors who they are. This may be an environment that compels you to constantly compromise their values as well as themselves. The term door mat comes to mind herewith bounds being nonexistent in this environment.
Feeling and thinking negatively is also something which may seem to just happen; coming on like a parasite, without warning or reason. Despair is also another frequent outcome from being in this sort of environment. With these two examples, we can see that one is an environment which could be classed as aware and another is an environment that’s the complete opposite. By this, I mean that the dysfunctional environment is an environment in which behavior and the effects of the behavior go undetected.
The folks in the environment have small, too, no comprehension of the activities or to the harm, which can be carried out physically, emotionally or mentally. Maybe if you were to comment or mention how they felt to the person or persons in the environment, they could be dismissed or ignored. This, of course, all depends upon how dysfunctional the environment is. This is a story that’s useful in describing the insidious nature of the dysfunctional environment.
It’s about a frog that’s put in a pan and can be cooked so slowly that it doesn’t understand or see the difference in temperature. It was oblivious to what was occurring and its impending death. It became comfortable and numb to what it had been undergoing. In this environment you will notice at first it is draining to them.
But unless one takes the steps to break off or measures from the environment so that it can be viewed from a different perspective, they may begin to feel With their original frame of mind and aliveness; quickly becoming a distant memory. Now, this may be due to a slow drip feed approach or the slow cooking strategy mentioned previously.
It may also be because it’s an environment which feels comfortable and secure to them as absurd as this sounds. It’s reminding them of the history and what has not been looked at. An individual may have not been in a functional environment. This makes it difficult in seeing the comparison and in having the ability to compare it to other environments in their lifetime.
One might think that this is the way life is and that there’s not any such thing as a functional environment’ or it’s not feasible for them. Most of us have our own history, some parts which will likely bring us feelings of happiness and other parts that may cause feelings of anger or bitterness. This is history that will not just disappear; it needs to be faced somehow. That could be by directly facing something or with the guidance of a therapist for example.
We’ll naturally be attracted into environments which are mind unconsciously partners as being what’s safe to us. These environments will not always be areas that empower or honor who we are. They will be environments that reflect the behaviors, feelings, and ideas of our youth. This is due to the nature of the brain and the way it gets attached and generates attachments.
What was experienced as a child becomes what’s familiar and secure to the ego-mind; no matter if it’s functional or not. If these institutions are practical and valuable, then what will then happen is you will usually wind up in environments which are at least reasonably healthy and functional. However, if these are institutions which aren’t as healthy or functional; you are very likely to find they end up in the same environments.
Environments that are disempowering and do not reflect what they knowingly want or what their center requires. Where their energy has been taken and no energy has been returned. Above I’ve said about our later environments mirroring the behaviors feelings and ideas of our youth environment if they haven’t been processed. Frequent topics of these years will continue to look and play out in our present-day environments.
These may be topics that are unique to us challenges that just appear to appear over and over again. I recently read about a group of rat pups which were genetically predisposed to be more fearful than other strains of rats. If these rats were left with their biological mothers, they were likely to be stressed and fearful. However after putting these rat pups with other rat moms which weren’t fearful; they grew up without fear. These might be rats which were talking about this, but what this shows is that the power of the environment in shaping the way we view ourselves and in who