Do you have a strained relationship with your mom or dad and think they might have narcissistic tendencies? On this episode of MedCircle, host Kyle Kittleson sits down with Ramani Durvasula, PhD, a licensed clinical psychologist, to discuss some of the signs of what she calls a “public health crisis of our time.”
Durvasula feels extremely passionate about the subject of narcissism and the effect on a person's health and mental state when they are in close proximity, whether it be a romantic relationship or family member, to someone with narcissistic behaviors.
A few things you might look for when trying to note the signs of a narcissistic parent are whether or not they were empathic with you growing up and able to show emotions and simply able to “go deep.”
“One thing that narcissistic family systems are characterized by is parents who focus a lot on achievement and how their child looks and how they look to the community,” Durvasula explains. She further breaks down a few signs of a narcissistic parent.
Durvasula explains that often in narcissistic family systems there can be a “scapegoat” child in which the narcissistic parent finds something about that particular child to be displeasing or even ultimately considers that child to be a threat.
There can also be a “golden child” of sorts, where they “put a disproportionate resource in that child” because they represent all that the narcissistic parent values.
It can be a sort of revelatory process that works backward, as well. Durvasula explains that she often sees clients who simply thought they had a rough upbringing with strict or selfish parents, but narcissistic parenting goes much deeper than that and can leave a number of lasting effects.
To learn even more about the signs of a narcissistic parent, check out the video.
