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- Hey, Psych2Goers, welcome back to our channel.
Have you ever wondered if your father was a narcissist?
A narcissistic father sees any attempt for independence
as a threat, diminishing their child's sense of self
and coercing them to comply with inflexible requests.
Typically, any form of healthy and unconditional love
is absent as well.
With that said, here are six signs of a narcissistic father.
Number one, they live through their child.
Does your father set expectations
to fulfill his own unmet needs and dreams?
All fathers want their children to be successful
and good human beings.
However, some fathers support their children
as a means to continue the legacy
that they have failed to build up years ago.
He places himself into the child's shoes
and forces them to do things his way,
which in turn can blur the child's identity
and make it feel as if they're an extension to his whims,
rather than an independent human being
with their own beliefs and dreams.
Number two, they put their child down.
Does your father throw off-handed remarks
that always make you feel worse?
Some fathers tie their self-esteem
to their superiority in the household,
and having their child challenge their position
can threaten them.
In those cases, the father may try
to put their child down through nitpicking,
comparing them to others, and emotional invalidation
in order to maintain their superiority
and protect their self-esteem.
This can also come out and phrases like,
"You'll never succeed without me,"
or, "You're not worth our hard-earned money."
Number three, parade the image of their child.
Does he boast about your accomplishments
to make others envious?
It's normal to feel pride in your child's accomplishments,
whether it's in school, sports, or relationships,
but if the intent of the father
is to put down the other parents' accomplishments,
and talk about how special and envy-worthy you are,
this can be a sign of narcissism at work.
It's like saying, "Look how special I am,
and how you are not."
Number four, constant manipulation.
Does your father guilt-trip you
when you try to set a boundary?
Manipulation comes in many forms,
from shaming, emotional coercion,
to manipulative threats of cutting ties.
Narcissistic fathers weaponize love,
and only give it on occasion,
instead of healthy expression as a natural emotion.
This unhealthy parenting can be disorienting to the child,
causing them to have a distorted view of love
and developing unhealthy attachment styles
in their future relationships.
Number five, dependency.
Does he force you to make sacrifices
while disregarding your own needs?
A narcissistic father feels
as if their child owes them something,
whether it's financial, emotional, or physical.
This could entail the child to make great sacrifices
without regard for their own needs and priorities.
If the child says no, the father could retaliate
by guilt-tripping and saying something like,
"Oh, so you don't love me anymore.
After all I've done to help you?"
In those cases, it's best to stay firm on your boundaries
and communicate your side of the story.
It might not always change his mind, but you can
at least say you've done all you can and move on.
And number six, neglect.
Is your father too involved in his career or personal life
with little time set aside for you?
A narcissistic father can find the idea of child raising
to be too much to bear, leaving it to his spouse.
He might be so absorbed with his work life
that he forgets to set aside time
to foster a relationship with his child,
which can cause the child to develop self-esteem issues
and a slew of other mental health problems.
So do you see your father in any of these signs?
Being raised by a narcissist
can have big impacts on your mental health,
but remember that you're not alone.
There are resources out there to help you
with your journey towards recovery.
If you found this video helpful,
like, and share it with friends
that might find insight in this too.
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All the resources used
are added in the description box below.
Thank you for watching. Until next time.
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