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Narcissistic personality disorder is one of the most common mental disorders today, affecting 450 million people around the world. People with this condition can stoop to any level to guard their narcissistic behavior by emotionally or even sometimes physically abusing loved ones. Narcissistic abuse has inflicted a lot of pain on families today—many people have come from households where this form of abuse has been caused by parents or siblings. Let’s identify the characteristics of a narcissistic individual and the damage their behavior causes to their loved ones, along with tips on how they can take back their life after years of abuse.
Characteristics of a Narcissistic Family Member
A narcissistic family member, whether it is a parent or a sibling, normally has several characteristics that make them difficult to deal with. They normally have overinflated egos, a lack of empathy, and an intense need for attention. Narcissistic parents tend to be abusive and erratic towards their children. Meanwhile, siblings who share their narcissism tend to be highly favored by the parent over their other children.
Having a relationship with a narcissistic family member could also lead to chronic gaslighting. This is a form of abuse where someone manipulates you into thinking that you’re crazy for things that others can’t see. Gaslighting often exists in parent-child relationships. People who are being abused may not always realize it, but some of the warning signs to watch out for include:
- The abuser continually criticizes you.
- The abuser blames you for something that isn’t your fault.
- The abuser embarrasses you and makes fun of you in front of other people.
Being more aware of when you’re being gaslighted by a parent or sibling makes it easier to protect yourself from this abuse.
Mental Damage of Narcissistic Abuse
When a young person experiences narcissistic abuse, it leaves psychological damage on them for a long time. The emotional toll that ensues could stunt the growth and development of a child. The effects of narcissistic abuse could range from mild to severe in children. Some survivors can recover from it, while others may sustain life-long damage.
A few symptoms that result from narcissistic abuse include anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress, and loss of sense of self and self-worth. You may also likely experience physical symptoms such as headaches, stomach aches or body aches.
How Siblings Can Become Narcissistic Abusers
Children can become narcissistic abusers as well. As was mentioned earlier, this is because they are highly favored by their parent over their siblings. They are perceived as being the perfect child by their parent. As a result of this, they start to relish the attention and high praise from the parent. This leads to them acting disrespectfully to their siblings. As they become adults, they become used to the parent covering for them and never hold themselves accountable.
Recovering from Narcissistic Abuse
In spite of your upbringing, you could still recover from years of narcissistic abuse from a family member. You are responsible for this happening and a meaningful life is still possible for you. Some of the different ways you can take back your life from narcissistic abuse include:
- Recognize the issue as soon as you can. Labeling narcissism in a person could be hard, but if you take notice of the signs mentioned earlier, you can recover.
- Read more about narcissism and its impact on people. Educating yourself on the characteristics of a narcissistic person is beneficial.
- Join a support group or reach out to a therapist. You can’t recover alone. So you must reach out to people dealing with the same problems as you are. In fact, it could be therapeutic to reach out to others. There are many communities on the internet and in real life available for narcissistic abuse survivors. Also, a therapist can serve as a great source of support.
- Self-care is also essential in recovering from narcissistic abuse. By eating right, getting proper amounts of sleep and exercising, you will start feeling better about yourself after years of abuse.
Follow these tips in recovering from the abuse of a narcissistic parent or sibling. Going through this process isn’t easy, but it could help you take back your life.
Thank you for this post! I liked the part where you said “Being aware of this kind of behavior can help in guarding against the abuse”. Awareness really unlocks the door to open and honest reaction.
Thanks for your feedback!
Yes indeed. Although when I finally became aware I started to record events witch was a good thing for proof for me. But NOT a good thing for proof to them. Then after years of Narssisist abuse from not One person in my life but THREE! I started to get paranoid. No matter what I said to confront them. No matter how I showed them by talking and reviewing the situation in an understanding matter, they understand and still deni. I have to watch my back, record conversations, set up audio recording devices in my home as so I am in the knowing and can understand what’s going on behind my back about ME. I don’t like living this way. It never gets better.. they just catch on and get better at hiding the fact and sneak around to destroy you. Then you find out years, or more later what they did and said to others by living about me. Then it’s to late….To reclaimed your true identity. It never ends
Thank for sharing your truth!