Discussion Can child abuse lead to development of narcissistic tendencies?

[Rocinante]

and why does it?

 

[psp3000]

this is a good/interesting question

according to what I saw online

"parent-child relationships with either too much adoration or too much criticism that don't match the child's actual experiences and achievements."

"Unfortunately, little is known about the origins of narcissism. Such knowledge is important for designing interventions to curtail narcissistic development. We demonstrate that narcissism in children is cultivated by parental overvaluation: parents believing their child to be more special and more entitled than others."



if the cause were child abuse I would assume that the narcissistic tendencies are because of having to mature earlier than others from being raised in a abusive or neglectful household or the illusion of maturity

and then resorting back to a childlike state once the person is an adult or finds a partner who will eventually become a caregiver in their eyes or the parent that they wanted but never had

and then the tendencies will show themselves when the partner decides to interact with others

or when the partner isn't showing every ounce of attention to the narcissist or validating the narcissist grandiose sense of self importance

or when the partner isn't keeping of with appearances or the illusion of the perfect relationship

and at times the narcissist will bring up or use the abuse they endured in the past to justify their abuse against others or stating that what they do to others "isn't as bad as[...]"

I think this a part of them usually wanting to be a victim most of the time even if they are (they most likely usually are all of the time) the one in the wrong


not sure if this makes sense or helps to understand but this is what I thought about the question, sorry for a wall of text/long post

 

[Rocinante]

and then resorting back to a childlike state once the person is an adult or finds a partner who will eventually become a caregiver in their eyes or the parent that they wanted but never had

and then the tendencies will show themselves when the partner decides to interact with others

or when the partner isn't showing every ounce of attention to the narcissist or validating the narcissist grandiose sense of self importance

This is sadly a major problem I suffer from in every relationship. I always chalked it up to feeling inferior and needing excessive validation and attention to feel good about myself. It always ruins everything and results in depression.

 

[Pluto]

Nfather grew up in a brutal boarding school where he was basically abandoned by his parents into a hellhole.

His mother overcompensated by treating him as mummy's little prince when he was finally brought back home. It was the perfect recipe for a soulless psychopath and an entitled narcissist.

As a father, he made a point of never being there or caring about his own children, though had very deep attachment to his now adult ex-boarding-school friends.

 

[Forever Sleep]

I recommend the YouTube channels: 'The Crappy Childhood Fairy' and 'Live Abuse Free'. Both deal with narcissism a lot.

From the top of my head- yes- abuse of sorts can lead to it I believe. So- the parent doesn't appreciate the child for who they really are. The child is in effect, an extension of them- they may be narcissistic themselves. So- they only receive praise and 'love' for behaving in a certain way that reflects well on them and they may receive harsh criticism otherwise. So, they can't be themselves and be accepted so, I guess they develop that persona or mask in order to please the parent. I guess that also would support why they tend to always be looking for praise.

I'm not an expert by any means and I may have just got that wrong! I'm pretty sure I grew up with a narcissist and I'm pretty sure their own child is now displaying traits.

 

[psp3000]

this is a good/interesting question

according to what I saw online

"parent-child relationships with either too much adoration or too much criticism that don't match the child's actual experiences and achievements."

"Unfortunately, little is known about the origins of narcissism. Such knowledge is important for designing interventions to curtail narcissistic development. We demonstrate that narcissism in children is cultivated by parental overvaluation: parents believing their child to be more special and more entitled than others."



if the cause were child abuse I would assume that the narcissistic tendencies are because of having to mature earlier than others from being raised in a abusive or neglectful household or the illusion of maturity

and then resorting back to a childlike state once the person is an adult or finds a partner who will eventually become a caregiver in their eyes or the parent that they wanted but never had

and then the tendencies will show themselves when the partner decides to interact with others

or when the partner isn't showing every ounce of attention to the narcissist or validating the narcissist grandiose sense of self importance

or when the partner isn't keeping of with appearances or the illusion of the perfect relationship

and at times the narcissist will bring up or use the abuse they endured in the past to justify their abuse against others or stating that what they do to others "isn't as bad as[...]"

I think this a part of them usually wanting to be a victim most of the time even if they are (they most likely usually are all of the time) the one in the wrong


not sure if this makes sense or helps to understand but this is what I thought about the question, sorry for a wall of text/long post

also this thread made me remember this documentary which may be helpful information on this subject and the effects/affects of abuse, neglect, and poverty

someone is still doing updates and observations on this family I believe

The Darlene Chronicles (1995)

 

[cold_severance]

if validation was a major theme in the abuse, then yeah.

 

[leloyon]

I would say so - child neglect and abuse is a common cause of Narcissistic Personality Disorder.