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How to Raise a Narcissist Pauline Anderson
March 13, 2015 Children of parents who "overvalue" them are much more likely to become narcissistic ― a trait linked to aggression and violence, new research shows.
The first longitudinal to study examine the origins of narcissism shows that parental overvaluation of children increased the risk of their becoming narcissistic. This supports the social learning theory rather than the psychoanalytic theory of the origins of narcissism.
"It's important to note that children aren't born narcissists, in which case there's nothing you can do about it. Rather, how their parents treat them is important," study author Brad J. Bushman, PhD, professor of communication and psychology, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, told Medscape Medical News.
The study was published online March 9 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Western Phenomenon
Narcissism is linked to low levels of empathy and high levels of aggression and violence, said Dr Bushman.
"When narcissists don't get the special treatment they think they're entitled to, they become angry and aggressive; they lash out at others in an aggressive manner."
Convicted thieves, rapists, and murderers have some of the highest levels of narcissism, he said.
Previous research has shown that levels of narcissism tend to be somewhat higher in boys than girls, that narcissism levels decrease with age, and that narcissism levels are higher in Western societies, which tend to focus on individualism, than in Eastern countries, which focus on collectivism.
...
...depression is often associated with narcissism.
"The gap between expectation and reality is often filled with depression" for kids as well as adults, said Dr Brody. "There's such a gap between who they are and who they think they are."...
March 13, 2015 Children of parents who "overvalue" them are much more likely to become narcissistic ― a trait linked to aggression and violence, new research shows.
The first longitudinal to study examine the origins of narcissism shows that parental overvaluation of children increased the risk of their becoming narcissistic. This supports the social learning theory rather than the psychoanalytic theory of the origins of narcissism.
"It's important to note that children aren't born narcissists, in which case there's nothing you can do about it. Rather, how their parents treat them is important," study author Brad J. Bushman, PhD, professor of communication and psychology, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, told Medscape Medical News.
The study was published online March 9 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Western Phenomenon
Narcissism is linked to low levels of empathy and high levels of aggression and violence, said Dr Bushman.
"When narcissists don't get the special treatment they think they're entitled to, they become angry and aggressive; they lash out at others in an aggressive manner."
Convicted thieves, rapists, and murderers have some of the highest levels of narcissism, he said.
Previous research has shown that levels of narcissism tend to be somewhat higher in boys than girls, that narcissism levels decrease with age, and that narcissism levels are higher in Western societies, which tend to focus on individualism, than in Eastern countries, which focus on collectivism.
...
...depression is often associated with narcissism.
"The gap between expectation and reality is often filled with depression" for kids as well as adults, said Dr Brody. "There's such a gap between who they are and who they think they are."...
- Eddie Brummelman,
- Sander Thomaes,
- Stefanie A. Nelemans,
- Bram Orobio de Castro,
- Geertjan Overbeek,
- and Brad J. Bushman
Origins of narcissism in children PNAS 2015 112 (12) 3659-3662; published ahead of print March 9, 2015, doi:10.1073/pnas.1420870112 Significance
Narcissistic individuals feel superior to others, fantasize about personal successes, and believe they deserve special treatment. When they feel humiliated, they often lash out aggressively or even violently. 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. In contrast, high self-esteem in children is cultivated by parental warmth: parents expressing affection and appreciation toward their child. These findings show that narcissism is partly rooted in early socialization experiences, and suggest that parent-training interventions can help curtail narcissistic development and reduce its costs for society.