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10 Ways Having a Narcissist Parent Plays Out for Adult Children

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10 Ways Having a Narcissist Parent Plays Out for Adult Children

You Don’t Trust Others


Unsplash / Joshua Rawson-Harris

Because a narcissistic parent mostly cares about feeling good about themselves, they might have made countless empty promises. This made the narcissist feel good in the moment, but the promises were inevitably broken. Or, another narcissist trademark: The parent lured the child into feeling close and then lashed out to destroy the closeness later. Is it any wonder an adult who’s had this experience has a hard time forming close bonds with other people? Adult children of narcissistic parents definitely have trust issues.

 

You Try to Act Superior, Too


Chicago Sun Times

A narcissistic parent can turn a child into a mere object, but this type of mom or dad may also recruit at least one of the kids to the team. Some kids were constantly told, “We’re better than them.” Then it’s natural to present this “us versus them” mentality into adulthood, sort of a holdover from childhood. Note, though, that a narcissistic parent may teach one kid to feel superior, but it’s never for realistic reasons.