Adults Quote by Alexander Lowen
“It is a grave injustice to a child or adult to insist that they stop crying. One can comfort a person who is crying which enables him to relax and makes further crying unnecessary; but to humiliate a crying child is to increase his pain, and augment his rigidity. We stop other people from crying because we cannot stand the sounds and movements of their bodies. It threatens our own rigidity. It induces similar feelings in ourselves which we dare not express and it evokes a resonance in our own bodies which we resist.”
About This Quote
Source Book: “The Language of the Body” by Alexander Lowen, 1975
Suppressing a child's tears harms them and reinforces our own rigidity; allowing expression eases pain for both.
In simple terms: Stopping tears hurts; letting them flow heals.
Key Takeaway
Allow emotional release, avoid shaming.
Themes
empathy
emotional health
rigidity
Mood
empathetic
reflective
Type
psychological
educational
When to use this quote
- parenting
- therapy
- conflict resolution
- self‑awareness
Key Concepts
psychology
bodymind
attachment
social conditioning
Questions to Reflect On
- What triggers your discomfort with others' emotions?
- How can you model healthy emotional expression?
A Different Perspective
Humans often resist confronting their own vulnerability.
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