Parents cannot neglect their children’s self-esteem because healthy emotional development depends on it, but today self-esteem has been given so much importance that parents go beyond the healthy and end up raising a narcissistic child.
A recent study on child selfishness found that parents who believe their children are better than other children do not help them develop good self-esteem, on the contrary, they hurt them and increase the risk of creating narcissists. Increasing children’s self-esteem is important for children to feel loved and not feel better than others.
- According to the researchers.
- When parents see children as special children and better than others.
- They can internalize the idea that they are superior.
- A vision focused on narcissism.
- But when parents treat them with love and care.
- Children internalize the idea that they are valuable people.
- A vision that is the basis of self-esteem.
However, overvaluation of parents is not the only factor that determines narcissism, like other personality traits, narcissism is also influenced by genetics and finds its roots in the early capricious manifestations, for example, due to its personality, some children are more likely to become narcissistic. when they are exposed to overvaluation by their parents.
The following are clear signs that your educational practices are fostering the emergence of a narcissistic attitude in your child, reviewing and adapting these aspects so your child has healthier emotional and psychological development.
We must not forget that, from a psychological point of view, narcissism is a personality disorder that has many negative connotations for the lives of people, who end up suffering from it.
Some children find it difficult to believe in themselves; while they have enough skills to perform the tasks, they are paralyzed by the fear of wrong. To increase their self-esteem, parents need to support, praise, encourage, and convey their confidence. Then they will realize that they are capable, that it is worth trying.
It is one thing to congratulate them, to acknowledge their successes, to give them confidence in their ability to solve problems and another to make them believe that they will never make a mistake.
Children should learn to live with error; Is this the best drug?For a narcissistic child. Mistake is part of life and learning, isn’t it when you learn to walk?Falling and getting up is part of learning, the one who is wrong is the one who lets himself try, the one who has the opportunity to succeed.
From the age of 7 or 8 children begin to compare themselves, sometimes this interest in comparisons begins with the mood of parents, who are eager to demonstrate how good their children are or the qualities they think they have.
These comparisons create a lot of pressure on children, who don’t want to be left behind compared to their friends. When a child excels, his accomplishments and virtues must be recognized, but not compared to others.
Being good or better at something doesn’t mean being superior, but kids don’t see it that way. Their personality is being built and it is up to adults to orient them appropriately.
Hearing criticism from others is very unpleasant for many adults, imagine for a narcissistic child, but it is necessary to provide a model for children to accept constructive criticism, it is not about lowering your head and saying yes to everything, but about accepting criticism, think about it, discuss the problem, and commit to change, if necessary.
Children learn by example. If they realize that their parents don’t accept criticism, that they can’t change, they act like they’re always right, they’ll do the same.
Furthermore, some parents do not accept criticism of their children, they react irrationally and place children on a pedestal of perfection and superiority.
It is one thing to be proud of a child and another to overestimate and excuse the shortcomings to show that he is the best. Some children react by rebelling against their parents and others by fueling their narcissism. Neither option is an easy and healthy way from them.
Occasionally children “put their feet in their hands” but they don’t have to be ashamed. I’m sorry for your behavior and show them that we’re not always perfect. The important thing is to learn from mistakes.
A different or less capable child is not an inferior child, but if your child hears that you criticize him for any reason, whether because of an intellectual or physical disability or because he dresses differently, he thinks he is superior to it.
Often, this negative way of talking about others is one way the person finds better than the other.
You don’t have to show the worst of others for the best of you to show up. If a parent insists on hurting other children to make their child feel more important, all they’ll get is that their child will lose true perspective on himself. and its value.