Ok, scratch that thought. I didn’t know what condition his dad is in.
He's more of a 'typical' guy who has a hard time accessing his deeper emotions.
I don’t think this is true of guys. It is stereotypical of how women see guys, but I think guys know exactly what they are feeling. They don’t want to face it and so deflect those thoughts, but I think most know exactly how they feel.
At any rate, if one was a people pleaser don't you think that would include a desire to do things that the aforementioned people WANT? That's the part I don't get.
No, not at all. I think people pleasers are trying to control chaos and avoid confrontation. They please out of fear not out of love. He has no fear of you so he feels no compulsion to please you. You are safe ground to him, so yes, you should take this as a compliment of sorts. He needs to realize how captive he is to his fears.
One inkling that he's failed or is about to fail and he disappears (figuratively, of course).
That would make sense, don’t you think? He was fearful of his dad and his anger, blaming, etc. If the father is so dominant that the kids cannot express their feelings and anger, the only thing left is to withdraw. The self esteem takes a mighty big hit. It seems to me there may be a lot of similarity between your H and Chrome. Maybe Chrome could give us some insight.
