You’ve probably heard the term daddy issues at some point. It’s an idea that was first discussed by psychologist Carl Jung, who explained that women with (what he referred to as) the Electra Complex were desperate to seek the attention of their father.

Nowadays we simply refer to a woman who is trying make up for her father’s lack of presence in their life as someone who has daddy issues. This term could describe a list of insecurities, stemming from a woman’s troubled and complicated relationship with her father. Whether she’s trying to replace an absent father or looking for a man who can give her the approval that she never got, it can be incredibly difficult to date a girl who has daddy issues because you’re really going to have to work to earn and keep her trust, and there is no denying that she will have a lot of hangups. She may push you away and she may reject you, but most of these women are in a lot of pain and react in these ways without even realizing what they’re doing.

Below are 15 clues that you may be dating a girl with daddy issues – which you probably already suspected or you wouldn’t be reading this list.

15. She’s Overly Clingy

Your childhood greatly affects who you become as an adult, and when a woman has daddy issues, it’s usually because of something that happened with her father in the past. Maybe he never gave her attention, maybe he abandoned the family or rejected her. These are all factors that contribute to a woman having issues later on in life, especially with other men.

If you’re looking for a telling clue that you could be dating a girl with daddy issues, then clinginess is one of them. The reason for this is that she is so desperate for attention that sometimes she may not realize she is getting carried away. How do you recognize this? Well, she may want to spend time with you in excess (like every waking moment and you just can’t catch a break), or she is constantly touching and hanging on to you.

14. She Has A Thing For Much Older Men

One of the most reported signs that a girl has daddy issues is that she will have a thing for older men, which is probably her subconscious mind trying to find a father figure who can fill the void that she has in her life.

She could be overcompensating or trying to recreate her old environment. It’s also possible that she may want to be with this older man because he in some way resembles the father that never gave her love and attention. That said, just because a woman likes an older man does not mean that she has daddy issues. She could just want to be with someone who is more mature and knows what they want from life, or, she could be just genuinely interested in the person — be careful not to jump to any conclusions.

13. She Has Problems Trusting Others

Letting someone into your life and opening up your heart to them takes a certain level of trust. No one wants to have their heart broken, and no one goes into a relationship thinking that the outcome will end in tears.

All of us are wary when it comes to placing trust in others, and this is not abnormal, but the difference between the way most of us trust, and the way a woman with daddy issues does, is quite apparent. Her behavior may be a bit extreme, like trying to get into your phone or attempting to hack your social media. She may also put all potential partners through a rigorous screening before becoming attached. And then there is the fact that she is deathly afraid of trusting in case history repeats itself – women with daddy issues subconsciously compare all of these future relationships to the one where their father let them down.

12. There Are Always Men Around

The constant desire for approval, to be desired, and to hold male attention means that more often than not, your girlfriend is always surrounded by men. There is something missing in this girl’s life, and she’s trying to fill that void, which is why she keeps men close, even if she doesn’t have feelings for them.

In part, this could be because she is so insecure that she wants to prove to you that she is wanted and in demand, but it could also be because she is terrified to be on her own — which is another reason that she is rarely ever single, even if that means dating a guy that is completely wrong for her. If you’re dating a girl like this, then maybe it’s time you helped her changed her pattern of dating men from the wrong side of the track, and let her realize that nice guys do still exist.

11. She Thinks All Men Are The Same

When you come out of an ugly, messy relationship, you’re probably going to swear off men or women forever and focus on being single. That may happen for a few months, but then you heal and realize that while that one relationship was a disaster, there are other people out there that are nothing like your ex.

The difference between this scenario and a girl who is suffering from daddy issues is that she may view all men as being the same, and expects them all to be as awful as her father was. She may be a man-hater, she may think that all men are no good, or she may just feel as though she can never do better than someone who treats her as if she’s inferior. And, unfortunately, this way of thinking doesn’t change overnight.

10. It’s Hard To Have A Healthy Relationship

It can be really hard for a girl who has daddy issues to have a healthy relationship because her first relationship with a man (her father) was so damaged. If you think about this, it really makes sense. Break ups are awful for normal people, but imagine how they are for a girl with daddy issues? She has finally started to open up to someone she was learning to love and trust, and then that ended, and in her mind, she was once again let down by a man.

On the other hand, she could also find it difficult to remain single and is constantly engaging in unhealthy relationships with the wrong type of man (possibly ones that are bad for her because she believes she deserves no better, or they remind her of her father).

9. She May Call You Daddy

When people think of women who have daddy issues, there is a common belief that they are promiscuous, but this is not always true and it is actually an incredibly unfair judgment to make of someone. However, you may notice some strange things that she does when it comes to being intimate.

For some women with daddy issues, they may be attracted to men who are physically similar to their father, but for others, they may want to refer to you as their “daddy.” Is this term creepy? Absolutely, but what it really boils down to is her desperate need for a father figure, and she may in some way be trying to find a replacement.

8. She Blames Her Dad For Her Insecurities

It seems that the term daddy issues is thrown around way too often and used to describe almost any insecurity or flaw that a woman may have. It may be easy to paint everyone with the same brush, but all that does is trivialize the difficulties that those who have real issues created by their father are trying hard to work through. And one of the things that your girlfriend may be trying to move past is constantly blaming her father for everything that is wrong in her life. Not just bad relationships, but all of her problems and shortcomings.

In her mind, he is the reason she is not able to trust men, and the reason she always thinks that the really great guy is going to leave her.

7. She Suffers From Low Self-Esteem

There will come a time in most of our lives where we feel as though we are inadequate or are constantly comparing ourselves to other people and determining that we are inferior to them. Low self-esteem is not limited to women who suffer from daddy issues, and not everything can be blamed on an absentee father, but it is another sign that the girl you’re dating could have had a complicated relationship with her father.

If you find that your girlfriend always needs validation for everything and that she is extremely insecure about her appearance, her personal qualities, and her relationship, then this lack of confidence could be linked to her past, and the way that the first man in her life who was meant to love and care for her made her feel unworthy or invisible.

6. She Has Serious Commitment Issues

If your own father abandoned or rejected you, how can you be sure that other men in your life won’t do the same? These are very real concerns that a woman who is dealing with daddy issues can have, and this directly affects their commitment in relationships.

Getting close to someone and laying your emotions out in the open makes you vulnerable, and when you feel vulnerable, you may feel that it’s easier to run before they hurt you. It’s not surprising that if things weren’t rosy in your girlfriend’s home life as a child that she could be afraid to commit out of fear of seeing the same things repeated in adulthood. The important thing for you to do is remind her that not all men are like her father.

5. She Doubts Your Love (And Tests You)

No one said dating a girl with daddy issues is easy, but then again, few relationships are easy because we all have our own baggage that we bring to the table. However, if you feel like you’re never good enough for your girlfriend and that she is constantly testing you and doubting your love and commitment, then this could be a sign that she has daddy issues.

She wants to feel wanted, and she is going to make you work for her. She could also be coming up with scenarios in her mind that prove to her that you care, which is why she’s always testing you and waiting for you to slip up. Think of it this way: for her, if you’re willing to put in the effort when she’s giving you a hard time, then it’s likely that you’re going to stick around for the long haul.

4. She May Be Overly Flirtatious

Is your girlfriend overly friendly and always surrounded by men? Does she flirt shamelessly, and possibly not even realize she’s doing it? While this may be an unfair stereotype of someone who has daddy issues, it is one sign. However, it’s important to note that this behavior doesn’t necessarily mean that she wants to stray. And just because a woman flirts does not mean that she is interested in the person she’s flirting with. In this case, it’s more likely that she craves male attention (as we have so clearly established in the points above).

How can you deal with behavior like this, which is obviously hurtful? Speak to her about your concerns, as she may be acting this way without even realizing it. Also, it’s important to reassure your girlfriend and give her the attention she needs.

3. She Overreacts To Something Minor

Let’s not pretend that at some point we have not all reacted to a situation in a terrible way, and later, upon reflection, realized that what happened, and how we dealt with it, were out of sync. So, this behavior doesn’t automatically indicate that you’re dating someone with daddy issues, but it could, if combined with several other points on this list, be a sign.

If you find your girlfriend constantly overreacts when something minor happenings, it’s possible that this stems from her issues with her father, and men in general. For example, when a man does something that hurts or displeases her, she sees it as much worse than it actually is, because she associates the actions with something that her father did in the past.

2. She Needs Constant Reassurance (About Everything)

There are times in even the most healthy and beautiful relationships where one half of the couple is going to be feeling a little insecure and needs reassurance. Maybe they have had a really tough week at work, someone close to them broke up, or they’re just not feeling happy about their appearance. These are all factors that can result in you needing reassurance from your significant other, and confirmation that everything is still okay.

However, if you need to constantly reassure your girl that you care about her, that she’s all you need, and that she’s attractive (as well as a long list of other qualities), then this could stem from the fact that she’s suffering from daddy issues. According to 2KnowMyself, a woman with daddy issues will constantly need reassurance that everything in your relationship is fine.

1. She Wants To Please People

There is nothing wrong with wanting people to like you. In fact, it’s an honorable quest to be nice to people, but for most of us, we draw the line if it means pretending to be someone we are not. Another clue that you could be dating a girl with daddy issues is that she wants to constantly please people and make them happy (she’s overcompensating because she never got the approval and acceptance that she so desperately wanted from her father).

Your girlfriend wants to be loved so badly that she will do everything in her power to make you happy. This is really not a bad quality to have, but the important thing to remember here is if she’s trying to buy people’s affection and losing her sense of self while doing it. That’s extremely unhealthy.