Uncertain and complicated parent-child connections are usually fraught with theater and hurt feelings—especially in the teenage years and crawling into adulthood. For those raised or around narcissistic parents, the aftereffects can be powerful and enduring for some.
According to experts on the topic, individuals with narcissistic personalities possess at least s grand amount of the typical narcissistic features. This includes entitlement and authority, excessive demand for engagement and management, a shortage of compassion, and unfortunately, so much more.
These certain traits might ring a bell from what you have experienced from your parents and other individuals in your childhood or even adulthood.
I had the opportunity to research and think of my own experience and I’ve identified some of the signs.
Ten signs’ you may have been raised by a narcissist:
1.They don’t genuinely acknowledge their mistakes (and no, it has nothing to do with their zodiac sign).
2.They don’t talk about their issues.
3.They are not open or unpretentious communicators.
4.They gaslight you.
5.They expect you to be perfect, getting unreasonably upset when you fail a quiz, misstep, or somehow lose sight of their idealistic aspirations for you.
6.They quickly misunderstand and condemn you when things go wrong.
7.They ooze emotional warfare, making you feel uncounted for, adding in some irritation and disrespect for boundaries.
8.They monopolize their discussions, not permitting others in the room to speak.
9.They undermine and try to think for their child, whether young or adult.
10.They act like they are a saint or being preyed upon. If any of these rings are true, you might have had a narcissistic parent.
Here are five ways being raised by a narcissistic parent or parents can affect you as an adult.
1. It impacts your partner choice.
Being raised by a narcissist can point you in the same direction, prompting you to choose a controlling or unhealthy relationship
2. You have low self-esteem.
Adults growing up in this environment stay in a child’s world. We continue to overly sacrifice our needs in steps of life like relationships. We prioritize their opinion, voice, wishes, and goals
3. You create an avoidant attachment type.
After being raised by narcissists, some individuals avoid connections completely
4. You might have issues establishing boundaries.
Individuals who were raised with narcissistic parents might require accommodations during intense moments in adulthood.
5.You stumble to recognize your feelings.
You might have the urge to separate yourself for self-protection. But this can cause anxiety, low self-esteem, depression, self-doubt, and much more.
Time to set healthy boundaries.
After gaining a better understanding of narcissism and working to heal from your wounds, it’s essential to keep a few things in mind to break the cycle and avoid that legacy of narcissism. That means doing everything in your power to keep your children from having the same experience and growing up to be narcissists themselves.
Having narcissistic parent(s) can have long-term effects on any child’s mental soundness and levels of self-esteem, into adulthood and beyond.
The world is weird and scary enough, so put in the work so you don’t continue the cycle.
Photo by Hüseyin Kılıç on Unsplash
