It's the difference between emotional stability and an "emotional crunch". The former describes a self-sustaining individual who can stand on their own. The latter pertains to someone who leeches their own sense of self worth/esteem from the attentions of another.
The fact that the author, even rhetorically, can't tell the differences bodes very poorly for them.
“Emotional crutch. More coffee...still, even half asleep I can smell bull chips from a mile away.