When Protection Becomes Control: Parental Fear and the Reorganization of Familial Intimacy in Hold Tight
Keywords:
Parental Fear, Anxiety, Adolescents, Parental AnxietyAbstract
This paper explores how parental anxiety shapes both behavior and perception in Hold Tight, particularly within the parent-child relationship. Using a psychoanalytic approach, especially Melanie Klein’s theory, combined with contemporary psychological perspectives, the analysis focuses on digital surveillance as a response to parental anxiety and the projection of fear onto the child as parental confidence declines. The findings show that surveillance is not only used as a form of protection but also becomes a way of maintaining control, which gradually disrupts trust and relational boundaries. At the same time, anxiety influences perception, leading to interpretive bias, projection, and projective identification, where the child is no longer seen as they are but as a reflection of parental fear. Overall, this paper highlights that parental anxiety operates on both behavioral and psychological levels, affecting not only what parents do but also how they interpret their child, ultimately transforming care into control and creating distance within the relationship.
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