Reflect on childhood

1.2 Freud & the unconscious

Reflect on the connections between your childhood experiences (both useful and unhelpful) and present personality/behaviour patterns.

Growing up in a home where my mother was emotionally unregulated and my father often appeased her shaped how I understand relationships and emotional intensity. My father loved me deeply and supported me, but he was also a difficult and unhappy man caught in negative patterns. My mother was creative and a strong problem solver, yet struggled to repair broken relationships. Witnessing these dynamics taught me early about instability, love, and the consequences of unresolved emotion.

Leaving home at 16 and moving in with my aunt, who offered safety and care, was a turning point. It allowed me to continue studying art and develop outside the tension of my immediate family. At the same time, being unable to return home due to my mother’s upset created a lasting awareness of conflict and separation. Rather than making me afraid of conflict, these experiences strengthened my commitment to truth and honesty.

Much of my adult life has involved reflection, healing, and self-inquiry. I can see how my childhood encouraged resilience, independence, and a desire to understand emotional patterns -both my own and others’. My father’s continued support reinforced my sense of worth and helped me pursue growth rather than remain stuck in family dynamics..

This is my aunty and I. She genuinely loved me dearly and ims so grateful to have loved her.

My mother and I. I know she loved me. We resolved so much before she passed, I’m grateful for the personal growth.