The Unimportant Child – Experiences and Impacts of Growing Up With a Narcissistic Parent

Abstract

While narcissism has been researched for decades, little attention has been focused on children growing up with such a parent. Consequently, this studyaims to explore the childhood experiences of adult children who perceive their parents as narcissists, and the effect their upbringing had on their current lives. Data was collected by semi-structured interviews with six participants aged 21-59 . Interview transcripts were analyzed with Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Five themes emerged through the analysis: "Never got to feel important", "Isolation and control", "Love is a transaction", "Healing through knowledge and connection" and "Grieving a childhood that could have been". Findings suggest a long-term negative effect on self-image and relationships, which improved through learning and having meaningful connections to others.