The Piggy Bank of Emotional Deposits and Withdrawals (2024)

FAQs

What is the emotional piggy bank concept? ›

The Emotional Piggy Bank concept, introduced by John Gottman, suggests that healthy relationships thrive when partners consistently make emotional deposits into each other's accounts and minimize emotional withdrawals.

Essentially, when you turn toward your partner's bids for connection, you are making a deposit in your Emotional Bank Account. And when you turn away from your partner, you make a withdrawal. Just like a real bank account, a zero balance is trouble, and a negative balance is the real danger zone.

The Emotional Piggy Bank analogy looks at how we can deposit within our minds and bodies, instead of constantly withdrawing. It is a useful tool to look at how we can manage self care and stress management, and pay attention to refilling when we expecting a lot from ourselves.

We all know how our regular bank account works. We make deposits, save up money, and when we need that money later, we withdraw it. An emotional bank account is an account of trust instead of money. It's an account based on how safe you feel with another person.

The idea is that, if you eat more calories than you consume, you gain weight. If you eat less calories than you burn, you gain weight. You can think about it like a piggy bank. You feed the piggy bank money (calories).

One way to simplify all this and to get control of our budget is to break down all our spending into three categories. Put simply, everything that we spend money on can be sorted into one of three 'pots', or piggy banks - either Bills & Regular Payments, Day-to-Day Spending, and Savings & Big Purchases.

We all have emotional piggy banks that receive daily deposits and withdrawals from those around us. When someone brings you flowers, it's a deposit! If someone in the family asks when you're having another baby, it might be a withdrawal. And these all add up!

In the Chinese zodiac, the pig is a symbol of wealth and prosperity, and giving a piggy bank is believed to bring good luck and fortune to the recipient. The piggy bank is also seen as a practical gift, as it encourages saving and financial responsibility, which are important values in Chinese culture.

What is the concept of piggy bank? ›

Piggy bank (sometimes penny bank or money box) is the traditional name of a coin container normally used by children. The piggy bank is known to collectors as a "still bank" as opposed to the "mechanical banks" popular in the early 20th century.

AT ONE time, people used to keep their money in pots made of a type of earthenware called pigge. These so-called 'pigge banks' were not at first made in the shape of pigs, but presumably some manufacturer thought it was funny to do so.

Throughout the day, each time a child is noticed, affirmed, or given time or affection, a deposit is made into their emotional piggy bank. Their “balance” goes up. Each demand or negative interaction is a withdrawal from the piggy bank. For more on withdrawals, click here. Emotional Piggy Bank.

Emotional Deposits Build Trust and Security

Every time we interact positively, treating another person with courtesy, dignity, kindness, compassion, honesty, and integrity, it makes a deposit into their emotional bank account. You build up a balance and they trust you more.

The Emotional Bank Account is a metaphorical account that represents the quality of the relationship between two individuals. The balance of the account can be positive or negative, depending on the number of deposits and withdrawals made.

Stephen Covey's metaphor of the Emotional Bank Account is a proactive way to establish a foundation of trust. This idea describes relationships just like bank accounts. All relationships start with a neutral balance in the account, and allows for deposits and withdrawals.

Piggy banks didn't start out shaped like pigs. There are a few theories on why these coin-storing containers were dubbed "piggy banks." One theory dating back 600 years suggests they were made from an orange-colored clay called "pygg." People used it to make all sorts of household stuff, including pots and jars.