~ Auto Buzz ~: 10 Adult Behaviors of Someone Who Was Raised By Narcissists

“Often, children of narcissists are overly-sensitive, deeply insecure, unable to see themselves as good, worthy and lovable.” ~ Kathy Caprino

What is narcissism?

The Mayo Clinic describes narcissism in the context of Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD):

“Narcissitic personality disorder is a mental disorder in which people have an inflated sense of self-importance, a deep need for admiration and a lack of empathy for others. But behind this mask of ultra confidence lies a fragile self-esteem that’s vulnerable to the slightest criticism.”

A therapist’s experience

Kathy Caprino, an author, life coach, licensed marriage and family therapist, and former corporate executive, has seen her fair share of narcissists.

“I saw firsthand (that) adult children of narcissists can live their whole lives (unless they get help to heal and overcome it) thinking they’re not good enough, and seeking validation and recognition at every turn, yet never feeling they get it.”

Oh, and Caprino – not so surprisingly, perhaps – met a few narcissists in the corporate world.

“One example was a supervisor, who, on the day of the 9/11 attacks, went around the office pretending to care about how the employees were feeling, when in fact, he was completely devoid of feeling … if you watched his eyes and his “affect” as he spoke to grieving and frightened people, you’d see clearly that he felt absolutely nothing…”

The child’s brain

A young child learns from what they see and hear.

Lacking critical thinking skills, a kindergartener exposed to violence may walk into a classroom and – without a moment’s hesitation – whack some poor classmate in the face. When asked “Why?,” the kid may say something along the lines of, “I say my (mom/dad/brother/sister) do it.”

The extremely impressionable nature of a child’s mind can be explained using just two facts:

(1) A child’s brain is 80 percent formed by the time they’re four.

(2) 95 percent of our subconscious is programmed by age six.

Most of the who, what, when, where, why decisions – even well into our adult years – are almost entirely influenced by this subconscious information.

In other words, the“forgotten years” can profoundly influence who we become. Sadly, this is terrible news for children of narcissistic parents.

Now Imagine…

Being the child of one (sometimes two) people who:

– Believes they are “special” and unique and can only be understood by (other) special or high-status people.

– Is obsessed with fantasies of unlimited beauty, power, or success.

– Always needs to be the center of attention.

– Has an extreme sense of entitlement.

– Exploits and takes advantage of others to achieve their ends.

– Has a complete lack of empathy.

– Is excessively arrogant and self-righteous.

(The first question that comes to this writer’s mind is “Why in the hell would such a person procreate in the first place?”)

Anyways.

Let’s discuss some common thoughts and behaviors of those who had the misfortunate of being raised by a narcissist.

Here are ten:

1. They’re isolated and rejected

Feelings of isolation and rejection are felt by children of narcissists early on. While the child’s higher-level thinking processes aren’t yet mature, they are capable of intuitively grasping that they’re emotionally deprived.

The narcissist’s inability to nurture their child instills a feeling of alienation and rejection.

2. They possess very low self-esteem

Children of narcissists are often victims of shaming. Unless the child lives up to the parent’s standards – which is pretty much impossible – they may be told that they’re dumb, worthless, lazy, or some other terrible thing. This low sense of self-esteem often carries on into adulthood.

3. They’re extremely self-conscious

Children of narcissists face constant scrutiny over every detail of their young life – from how they act, look and speak. The child never hears any encouraging words that would inspire a sense of confidence. This ever-present sense of inadequacy inevitably continues into adulthood.

4. They have an intense fear of abandonment

When the child receives finally receives the love and nurturing that had been withheld, they are often oblivious to how to act or respond. Their brain tells them to “Hold on!” which, sadly, often pushes the other person away.

5. They don’t accept compliments well

Again, the inability to accept compliments (or appreciate achievement) stems from being deprived any sense of self-worth. They’ve been told they’re not good enough hundreds of times; it’s no real surprise, then, that compliments and other things they should take some pride is foreign to them.

6. They feel inferior

Answering my question earlier, it turns out that narcissists have children to “mold” them into what they, now as parents, failed to live up to. Unable to grasp the absurd nature of placing demands on a child incapable of carrying them out, they’ll vent frustration by bullet-pointing every one of the child’s perceived “failures.”

Too often, these children – and eventual adults – live with a profound inferiority complex.

7. They are afraid to speak up

“You don’t speak unless spoken to” is a directive often aimed at inmates, military trainees…and children of narcissists. Being rendered quiet throughout childhood – combined with a deep sense of inferiority – often leaves a person unwilling or unable to voice their opinion or knowledge over the fear of appearing stupid.

8. They don’t feel worthy of love or respect

Throughout their first two decades of life, love was an emotion that was withheld from them by the most influential person in their world. It’s predictable that once the child steps into society, they’ll have a vague notion of what it’s like to be loved or respected. And they’ll have a difficult time receiving both.

9. They’ll self-sabotage relationships

Being the child of a narcissist is a drama-laden, roller-coaster affair. Children who experience years of psychological turmoil will almost assuredly experience problems in both platonic and intimate relationships. Worse, they may (subconsciously) gravitate towards relationships that cause further harm.

10. They are depressed and anxious

As mentioned, a young child’s mind is super impressionable, especially during the first six years of life. As such, it’s a commonplace for the child of a narcissist – because of the extreme mental anguish experienced – to develop anxiety and depression later in life.