Excessive intensification of parent-child relationship

The present-day child has typically an intense relationship only with its parents, notably its mother. This is obviously a restricted type of upbringing, and the intensity of these relationships may be unhealthy for the child.

One effect is that children are set apart from the world of adults. In the modern family, especially in industrialized countries, their parents are virtually their only adult contacts. Children are thus isolated from the mainstream of life and as a result there is uneasiness among young people. They may vent their frustrations on their parents or on society, or they may suffer from a lack of self-confidence.

In past generations, extended families gave children the opportunity for contact with people of all generations. Such families contained grandparents, parents, children, uncles, nephews, and nieces, all living in close proximity. Thus a child growing up in such a family was exposed to a wide variety of influences and age groups in a way that is not provided in the modern nuclear family.