Narcissistic Tendencies and Parenting: Focusing on the Object Relationship

Abstract

This study explored narcissistic tendencies and parenting. Clinical psychology theories suggest cold parenting fosters narcissistic personalities. Contrastingly, social and personality psychology studies suggest that overvaluation and controlling parenting styles also foster narcissistic personalities. Hence, there are differences in how parenting influences narcissism. In the present study, 500 university students answered a survey on parenting, object relationship, and pathological narcissism. Using mediation analysis, we examined how parenting influences narcissistic tendencies through object relations. The results showed that the caring parent style negatively influences a vulnerable narcissistic tendency through egoistic manipulation and abandonment anxiety. The overprotective parenting style positively influences a vulnerable narcissistic tendency through egoistic manipulation, excessive need for identification, and abandonment anxiety.