How Not To Raise A Narcissist

One type of toxic people that you might want to avoid are narcissists. It’s estimated that up to 8% of the US population has narcissistic personality disorder (narcissism), which is more common in men and has its roots in childhood. Narcissists are annoying enemies for human kind. They have a personality disorder that makes other people feel bad and desperate. Believe it or not, all people actually have the opportunity to develop this trait. Moreover, with the constant and frequent use of social media to show personal branding, narcissistic qualities are being reinforced. However, the roots of narcissists lie in several aspects. Parents should understand these aspects in order to help prevent children from living within their own illusions.

Children and teenagers can be naturally selfish. They are still trying to understand themselves and they want freedom to do many things. Parents should not grant such freedoms, especially when they know or perceive their children cannot be trusted yet. Sometimes, the children understand that it is for their betterment, and they will do things accordingly. However, there are some cases where the children start acting selfishly and without empathy. This is where you need to be concerned. There are some indicators as to whether your children will start to develop narcissism. One of them is when appear to enjoy threatening, devaluing, and scapegoating others. They also may want to win every battle with any possible means. Persistent lying is also an indicator that children may be attempting to evade personal responsibility.

Narcissistic behavior can be redirected at an early stage especially if it has not developed to an advanced level. In order to do that, you need to teach children how to see something from different perspectives. People with narcissistic traits cannot differentiate between the real world and illusion. That is why they need to know how to see the world from various perspectives. You can also help teens and young adults learn to recognize narcissists so they can avoid toxic harm from these individuals when they encounter them.

A necessary foundation for this is the ability to think critically about what someone says or does, a skill which starts to develop during adolescence. Critical thinking skills help us tell lies from truths and determine when someone is manipulating to take advantage of us. Parents and mentors can help teach these empowering life-skills that protect against deception by con artists, abusive bosses, pathological liars, friends and partners. You can infuse in your child life-long protective gifts of healthy self-esteem and critical thinking skills while squelching entitlement and narcissistic traits. If necessary, there is no shame in seeking help to get it done as seeking knowledge and help is a sign of strength and not of weakness.