# Quote — Lindsay C. Gibson, Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents

> Empathy is what makes people feel safe in relationships. Along with self-awareness, it's the soul of emotional intelligence, guiding people toward prosocial behavior and fairness in dealings with others. In contrast, nonempathic people overlook your feelings and don't seem to imagine your experience or be sensitive to it. It's important to be aware of this, because a person who isn't responsive to your feelings won't be emotionally safe when the two of you have any kind of disagreement.

- Author: [Lindsay C. Gibson](https://www.leafyquotes.com/lindsay-c-gibson.md)
- Book: [Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents](https://www.leafyquotes.com/lindsay-c-gibson/adult-children-of-emotionally-immature-parents.md)
- Source: [Wikiquote](https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Lindsay_C._Gibson#Adult_Children_of_Emotionally_Immature_Parents:_How_to_Heal_from_Distant,_Rejecting,_or_Self-Involved_Parents_(2015)) ([CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/))
- Quote page: https://www.leafyquotes.com/lindsay-c-gibson/adult-children-of-emotionally-immature-parents/empathy-is-what

## More from this book

> Children stay in alignment with their true self if the important adults in their lives support doing so. However, when they’re criticized or shamed, they learn to feel embarrassed by their true desires. By pretending to be what their parents want, children think they’ve found the way to win their parents’ love. They silence their true selves and instead follow the guidance of their role-selves and fantasies. In the process, they lose touch with both their inner and outer reality.

[Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/lindsay-c-gibson/adult-children-of-emotionally-immature-parents/children-stay-in-alignment.md)

> They act as though being a parent exempts them from respecting boundaries or being considerate.

[Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/lindsay-c-gibson/adult-children-of-emotionally-immature-parents/they-act-as-though.md)

> Accepting the truth of your feelings and thoughts doesn’t make you a bad person. It makes you a whole person, and mature enough to know your own mind.

[Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/lindsay-c-gibson/adult-children-of-emotionally-immature-parents/accepting-the-truth.md)