What is the effect that a narcissist parent has on his off spring?
At the risk of over-simplification: narcissism tends to breed narcissism. Only a minority of the children of narcissistic parents become narcissists. This may be due to genetic predisposition or different life circumstances (like not being firstborn). But MOST narcissists had one or more narcissistic parents or caregivers. The narcissistic parent regards his or her child as a multi-faceted Source of Narcissistic Supply. The child is considered and treated as an extension of the narcissist. It is through the child that the narcissist seeks to settle “open scores” with the world. The child is supposed to realise the unfulfilled dreams, wishes, and fantasies of the narcissistic parent. This “life by proxy” can develop in two possible ways: the narcissist can either merge with his child or be ambivalent towards him. The ambivalence is the result of a conflict between the attainment of narcissistic goals through the child and pathological (destructive) envy. No Iframes To ameliorate the une
