Parental Invalidation and the Development of Narcissism

ABSTRACT

Parenting behaviors and childhood experiences have played a central role in theoretical approaches to the etiology of narcissism. Research has suggested an association between parenting and narcissism; however, it has been limited in its examination of different narcissism subtypes and individual differences in parenting behaviors. This study investigates the influence of perceptions of parental invalidation, an important aspect of parenting behavior theoretically associated with narcissism. Correlational and hierarchical regression analyses were conducted using a sample of 442 Australian participants to examine the relationship between invalidating behavior from mothers and fathers, and grandiose and vulnerable narcissism. Results indicate that stronger recollections of invalidating behavior from either mothers or fathers are associated with higher levels of grandiose and vulnerable narcissism when controlling for age, gender, and the related parenting behaviors of rejection, coldness, and overprotection. The lowest levels of narcissism were found in individuals who reported low levels of invalidation in both parents. These findings support the idea that parental invalidation is associated with narcissism.

KEYWORDS:

• Narcissism
• parent–child relations
• parenting
• personality

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Max Andrewartha, Ka Fung, Beth Gunningham, Amanda Kenny, Ashley Lamont, and Conal Monaghan for their very useful comments on a previous version of the manuscript.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Elizabeth Huxley

Elizabeth Huxley is a PhD candidate at the Australian National University. Her research interests include narcissism, personality development, personality disorders, social attitudes, and social norms.

Boris Bizumic

Boris Bizumic is a senior lecturer at the Australian National University. His research interests include ethnocentrism, authoritarianism, social attitudes, narcissism, and psychometrics.