Many parents raise their children to narcissists

Education: Many parents make narcissists out of their children

03/10/2015

Apparently, there are more and more parents who think their own offspring for something better. "Exaggerated parental care and extreme exaggeration of the children is inflicted psychological damage". Scientists warn that "Narcissism is encouraged".

Cause of narcissism examined
In Western countries, more and more children are mentally in love with themselves. According to news agency dpa, scientists around Eddie Brummelmann from the University of Amsterdam write that the little ones feel superior to others and expect special treatment. The researchers investigated the cause of narcissism in one study and found it in their parents. According to this, this personality disorder is promoted by mothers and fathers who think their children are better. This reports the international research team in the „Proceedings“ the US National Academy of Sciences („PNAS“).

Little empathy and hypersensitive for criticism
For their study, psychologists and educators polled 565 Dutch children aged seven to eleven and their parents every six months for two years. They found that those adolescents whose parents said they were offspring „better than other children“ or „earn something extraordinary in life“, later had more narcissistic characters: they had little empathy and responded to criticism hypersensitive. It is therefore not conducive to the well-being of a child if fathers or mothers do it for „God's gift to humanity“ hold.

Result of exaggerated parental attention
Co-author Brad Bushman of Ohio State University in Columbus (USA) is quoted in a statement from the university: „Children believe their parents when they tell them they are better than others.“ And further: „It can not be good for them and for society.“ According to the researchers, narcissism is a result of over-the-top parental care - and not too little. They write that this supports social learning theory and contradicts the psychoanalytic approach. Also Gritli Bertram, social pedagogue and therapist from Hanover, expressed himself similar to heilpraxisnet.de years ago. She explained at the time that narcissistic personality disorder is a so-called early disorder, „which comes about in the early bond / relationship with the mother“. Due to lack of emotional fit between mother and child could „no healthy self to be developed.“

Children are getting more and more
As it says in the dpa message continues to see the child and adolescent psychiatrist Michael Winterhoff from Bonn, the cause in increasingly stressed parents: „Parents feel more under pressure today“, so the expert. „But they really want their child to feel better. That's why children are getting more and more.“ However, this does not make them willing to learn and to perform. „We have to realize that these people are not alive“, says the psychiatrist. „For example, they are unable to defer their own needs.“ So they would often refuse at school. Happy children are not that according to Winterhoffs.

Do not confuse narcissism with high self-esteem
However, the researchers warn that narcissism should not be confused with high self-esteem. The scientists had asked that, too. Thus, parents who treated their children with a lot of emotional warmth, boosted self-esteem. „People with high self-esteem see each other on an equal footing with others, while narcissists think they stand above it“, explains Bushman. A narcissistic personality disorder is considered incurable. Affected persons are usually treated by psychotherapy. Since patients often have severe depression or suicidality, hospitalization and additional medical treatment may be useful. (Ad)