The term “daddy issues” can be used to stigmatize emotional needs or complicated childhood relationships. In reality, anyone — not only women — may experience insecure attachments and other challenges stemming from a conflicting father figure.
Attachment styles
It's not uncommon for daddy issues to result in 1 of 3 types of insecure attachment issues. Additionally, some studies indicate that certain attachment styles — like those seen in people with daddy issues — even increase the risk of developing a substance abuse disorder later in life.
"Some studies have linked a poor relationship with one's father to a range of psychological issues, including depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem." According to Kashy, these attachment issues can also make your relationships feel generally unstable and untrustworthy.
Women with "daddy issues" do not have specific symptoms, but common behaviors include having trouble trusting men and being jealous. Women whose fathers are physically or emotionally absent tend to have troubled romantic relationships and marriages, research shows.
We know that children who grow up with absent-fathers can suffer lasting damage. They are more likely to end up in poverty or drop out of school, become addicted to drugs, have a child out of wedlock, or end up in prison.
Instead, it can increase negative behavior problems, especially if the father is physically abusive. Scientific evidence shows that a physically abusive father can traumatize adolescents and lead to anxiety, depression, and social withdrawal.
In psychology, 'daddy issues' are described as a 'father complex. ' A father complex develops when a person has a poor relationship with his or her father. The need for approval, support, love, and understanding progresses into adulthood, and it may result in bad decisions with relationships.
Having daddy issues is not a serious mental health condition. However, this term is sometimes used to put down women in their romantic relationships, including men who are perceived to be acting like their father. The term is often misinterpreted and misused.
Mental Health Issues
Traits associated to Borderline Personality Disorder or emotionally unstable personality traits are also, in many cases, caused by a negative relationship with the father.
“Fatherless Daughter Syndrome" (colloquially known as "daddy issues") is an emotional disorder that stems from issues with trust and lack of self-esteem that leads to a cycle of repeated dysfunctional decisions in relationships with men.” - Wehavekids.
You're aloof. You focus your mind on things other than what's going on in your relationships. You miss cues from those around you that your relationships need your attention.
You don't have to have an abusive or absentee father to have daddy issues. You could, like me, have a father who didn't always express his emotions or you could have a father that you had to “work” to impress or notice you.
Besides this, children with abusive parents, especially abusive fathers, are more at risk for diseases across numerous physiological systems which can lead to and cause anxiety, depression, low-self esteem, symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and suicide.
Authoritarian parenting, which uses stern, harsh behavior with children, can lead to moderately-high levels of anxiety, depression, and withdrawal. Children who're brought up by authoritarian parents tend to be worried about things that a normal child shouldn't be worried about.
Father complex in psychology is a complex—a group of unconscious associations, or strong unconscious impulses—which specifically pertains to the image or archetype of the father. These impulses may be either positive (admiring and seeking out older father figures) or negative (distrusting or fearful).
Characteristics of Fatherless Daughters:
Driven to achieve, to prove their value. Conflict avoiders; Try hard to make relationships work (so they are not abandoned again). Often sacrifice their own needs to meet others' needs (so they are appreciated, needed, belong).
But recent research has shown that a father's influence in his daughter's life shapes her self-esteem, self-image, confidence and opinions of men. A girl's relationship with her dad can determine her ability to trust, her need for approval and her self-belief. It can even affect her love life.
Daughters of distant fathers have more mental health struggles. Anxiety, especially involving social relationships, can become an issue, as well as depression and low self-esteem.
Daddy issues is a term that describes the effects of the emotional wounds inflicted on a child from an emotionally unavailable father. Those wounds, if left unhealed, may lead you to look for external validation from men to know your worth. You may only feel worthy when getting male attention.
When you label perfectionism or people-pleasing as a “mommy issue” and codependency or promiscuity as a “daddy issue,” you're perpetuating harmful stereotypes that assume men and women raise children differently (and dysfunctionally) based solely on their gender.
There are unclear boundaries.
And with toxic father-daughter relationships, this might look like: invading your privacy, disregarding your feelings, and making your decisions for you without even asking you for your input or giving you a good reason why (other than “Because I said so and you will do as you're told!”).
Because they never got the direction needed from a father figure, they learn to make up their own survival playbook. This can lead to negative coping skills such as sexual promiscuity, total avoidance of intimacy, isolation, substance abuse, anxiety, and depression.