Everyone needs emotional affection - perhaps you are receiving it and don't know it.
I never thought I needed emotional affection until I was in a relationship where I didn't get it....then it was noticeable. Even now, I get emotional affection from my family and friends, and rarely crave 'romantic' or 'partner' emotional affection. This is most certainly not a female issue either- men need it as well.
I would say that there is an extreme distinction and almost no relationship between giving emotional support/affection, and needing/asking for it.
I am always giving emotional support/affection - but I find it extremely difficult asking for it, or recognizing when I need it.
My idea was that maybe women are more in need of emotional affection than men. From experience, this is certainly very true. Althought I don't know if this is a universal truth.
Another thing would be that I don't feel like I receive any emotional support from people who are less mature or equaly mature like me. Its just like a nice thing, its like a good intention, but nothing more, and honestly I don't need it. It makes me feel good to know that I have people who do in their best to care for me, but most of the support I need... I doubt anyone could help me, maybe just very few people.
A person who has been trough life quite a deal, and is really mature, it has that 'weight" about him, that "essence" that only true maturity and wisdom can bring, I would have no problem to receive emotional support from such a person, because there really is a support there, not just a childish good intention.
The only surprise is that when I was a boy or a teen the world would seem to be full of people who were mature, now those people are quite rare.
I really do appreciate good intentions. But I think, thank God, I have finaly come to the point where I got past my emotional side, and I think and act more responsable. I have a strong need to be self-reliant, not because of pride, but because I can't stand the image of being a eternal child, troubling people with my silly needs, whatever those need would be, emotional or other needs.
That's why I have learned myself to keep to myself things that are needed to be kept to myself. After all, I have to be a realist. There would come a time when I would age and nobody on this earth could give me any emotional support, just people who would be younger than me...but this is the whole thing...they wouldn't give me anything of substance, just good intentions. So what would I do then? Waiting for support? I think being adult means being self-reliant and strong.