Narcissism can go far beyond arrogance and vanity. A narcissist’s reality is based in part on an assumption that they personally are not accountable for their mistakes. They lack empathy and the ability to truly appreciate that others do not exist to be accessories in their life. Obviously, one wants to avoid being in situation where they must live with one of these people, assuming one isn’t a narcissist themselves. But, what if that narcissist is a relative. What if that narcissist is a parent.
It’s important to know as an adult that may interact with children parented by a narcissist, or as a child that survived such parenting, that children brought up this way often exhibit certain problems, including an ability to feel that they are okay, an ability to form normal emotional connections, a lack of appreciation for inner qualities, over superficial ones, and an inability to trust their own feelings or other people.
Key Takeaways:
- Children raised by narcissistic parents often don’t feel heard or valued for who they are as individuals.
- Often, children of narcissistic parents feel under-nurtured, judged, and manipulated.
- Children of narcissistic parents can experience debilitating emotional effects and are in need of therapy to develop assertiveness skills.
“The cornerstones of the disorder are a lack of empathy and the inability to tune into the emotional world of others.”