As the young person begins (according to predictable Developmental Considerations and cultural expectations) to separate from the family of origin she also has to adjust and adapt in relation to new Social Systems.

An aspect of the difficulty here is that the parents may have been used up to that point to maintain equilibrium, compensating for aspects of inadequate personality and social development, but this no longer works once the YP is obliged to give priority to developing close peer relationships, sexual relationships and work or study which is increasingly separate from the family.

This may be complicated by one or both of the parents having used the child to compensate for their own problems, for example the mother having pressed the child to stay at home to keep her company.

Separations may also trigger Attachment Behaviours at the point at which they occur, which has a known (and detrimental!) effect on Mentalization