> some people have happy childhoods with parents who don't scar them in any way
Actually, they don't. All families are dysfunctional; there is no perfect childhood. Everyone is scarred. This is, ironically, a wonderful thing! Anyone who truly did have a perfect childhood... would never grow up.
Although we are all scarred by our childhoods, we are, however, scarred to very different degrees. You might review your childhood in detail and find nothing worse than an offhand cruel comment one of your parents made one afternoon when they were a little drunk and something had gone sour in their life. But I assure you, if you will look honestly, you will find something.
> But I assure you, if you will look honestly, you will find something.
Following the same reasoning, my horoscope is true.
I'm not sure if I disagree with you entirely, but your argument is silly. If you look hard enough, you can find evidence for anything to some degree. It's a type of confirmation bias, in fact.
In my opinion it's most useful to look not at the degree of scarring, but the degree of how much childhood events affect a person later in life. Unfortunately, that makes the whole argument rather circular.
You could ask me the same question in reverse, but why are you so sure that everyone bears scars from childhood? Is it that it's been the case with everyone you've met? It certainly has been the case with many people I've met.
Actually, they don't. All families are dysfunctional; there is no perfect childhood. Everyone is scarred. This is, ironically, a wonderful thing! Anyone who truly did have a perfect childhood... would never grow up.
Although we are all scarred by our childhoods, we are, however, scarred to very different degrees. You might review your childhood in detail and find nothing worse than an offhand cruel comment one of your parents made one afternoon when they were a little drunk and something had gone sour in their life. But I assure you, if you will look honestly, you will find something.