In this article, I will discuss the causes of narcissism.
Are you a narcissist?
If you are a narcissist, you may think that you are overestimating yourself. If you are a narcissist, do you have any problems with people who think you are a narcissist?Narcissists can cause problems in interpersonal relationships if they are too narcissistic, and this can be a source of trouble.
Why do narcissists become overly narcissistic? There have been studies that have investigated why narcissists become overly narcissistic because of the parenting they have received.
The results of these studies can help us to recognize how we can relate to or solve this problem in our parenting.
Contents of the study
Heightened narcissism in growing up reinforces the need to understand what goes along with it, setting off a cascade of interpersonal and mental health challenges.
While experiences of abuse and different parenting styles have been implicated, findings to date have been inconclusive.
By simultaneously considering multiple remembered parenting styles and abuse in a large sample, this study aims to elucidate possible prognostic factors associated with both grandiose and narcissistic traits in youth.
Young people were included (N = 328, age range: 17-25 years) and asked to report on their remembered interpersonal environment and current grandiose and vulnerable narcissistic traits.
Structural equation modeling was used to examine the parenting styles of mothers and fathers and to examine the association between parenting experiences and grandiosity and narcissism.
Results showed that excessive protection from mothers and fathers was associated with both vulnerable and grandiose narcissistic traits.
We focused on maternal overprotection as it relates to present grandiosity and maternal generosity as it relates to vulnerable and narcissistic traits.
For fathers' parenting, a combination of overestimation and generosity, as well as overestimation and care, explained the grandiose and vulnerable traits.
Remembered parental care and child maltreatment did not directly influence current levels of narcissistic traits.
Explanation
It was suggested that one of the risk factors for narcissism pathology is related to the way fathers and mothers interacted with their children during childhood.
The problematic parenting styles mentioned above include
Overprotection
Overestimation
Abuse
Indifference
Overly generous
These are just a few examples.
In terms of how we relate to our children, interfering with their self-determination and giving them too much material support can lead to excessive narcissism.
For children, the feeling of being manipulated by their parents, not being recognized for their actions, and having their future determined without their thinking can lead to a pathological evaluation of themselves.
The influence of the mother in particular seemed to be directly related to many of these factors.What about fathers? has been shown to be related to narcissism as a non-specific factor, due to lack of support and abuse.
Although not mentioned in the study, it has been suggested that media influence may have contributed to the development of problematic parenting styles. This is not part of the research, but it is an aspect that was considered.
In order to get attention, the media sometimes presents information on parenting styles with excessive results (sample size 1) as if they are the correct answers.
For those who are easily influenced by the media, they may get caught up in the method and distort their parenting style without looking at themselves or their children.
van Schie CC, Jarman HL, Huxley E, Grenyer BFS. Narcissistic traits in young people: understanding the role of parenting and maltreatment. Personal Disord Emot Dysregul. 2020;7:10. Published 2020 May 12. doi:10.1186/s40479-020-00125-7
Conclusion
The results of this study suggest that one of the factors contributing to pathological narcissism is the problem of parenting style.
The influence of the mother seems to be particularly strong, but if the father does not participate in child rearing too much, that seems to be a problem as well.
If you only look at the words, you might think it's obvious. It may sound obvious, but it may be that the child-rearing you have received and the child-rearing you are doing apply to you as well.
