Human Insecurity -- Am I Safe? Do I Matter? Do I Belong?

We are born into the world with survival instincts that revolve around seemingly insatiable needs to be physically secure, to have value or purpose, and to belong to a community.  As we grow and develop, these drive us to adapt in attempt to satisfy these needs.  In the process strengths, talents, skills, capabilities, achievements, and relationships develop that prove useful for individual and group survival.  By design, when stressed or threatened, we often revert back to primitive feelings of vulnerability and reactive thought and behavior patterns typical of early childhood.  This can be especially problematic during relationship challenges when both parties are feeling insecure.