You May Self-Medicate
Unsplash / Tobias Zils
Narcissistic parents will wear a kid down over time. But people do tend to develop coping skills along the way. Unfortunately, some of the ways of dealing with the diminishing, controlling, and manipulative behavior have negative impacts of their own. Some children of narcissists learn to soothe away the disrespect and vulnerability with addictive or self-destructive behaviors. Spending sprees, drinking irresponsibly, or eating disorders can have many roots, but a narcissistic parent is often part of the cause.
Domineering People Repel You
Unsplash / Adi Goldstein
Some co-workers and friends have no problem with aggressive or over-the-top people. But if your parent was a narcissist, you probably shy away from people who are loud and overpowering. In fact, from your background of a childhood spent with someone trying to dominate your every action, you may be oversensitive. Even someone who is vaguely argumentative or persuasive may lose you as a friend because you’re still reliving your childhood. And a dominating spouse is toxic.
