There are different well-known types of emotional abuse that can be received by everyone but children of narcissistic parents may experience more of the different types of abuse than others.
1. Rejection
Narcissistic parents or guardians will make it a point to let children know that they are unwanted, that they are mistakes in this world that should not have lived. When a child’s worth is belittled or when a child’s needs are always hindered, this is already a form of emotional abuse.
A child may also have to endure being called names and being refused to be held by the parents.
- Being called names
- Yelling at the child
- Swearing at the child
- Making belittling jokes
- Teasing the child about his weight or height
- Refusing to give loving gestures to the child
- Not including the child in outings and other family activities
- Making the child feel out of place from the family all the time
- Stopping the child from making his own choices
- Treating a teenager like he is still a child
- Physical abandonment
- The parent tells the boy/girl that he/she should be of the opposite sex
- Verbal humiliation
- Using demeaning labels
- Telling the child that he is ugly
2. Ignoring
There are some parents who have not received a lot of attention growing up so when they become grown ups and they have children of their own, they are unable to provide the same needs for their children. They may not show their children the proper nurturing that they deserve.
Even if the child tries to gain their attention, they will not give the child this satisfaction. A lot of times, a parent may be there for the child but will not be able to supply the child’s emotional needs.
- Does not pay attention to the significant events of the child at home or in school
- Does not discuss the child’s interests and activities
- Plans events without including the child
- Denying required health and dental care of the child
- Does not protect child
- Does not engage interaction with the child
- Not accepting the child as an offspring
- Lacks attention with the child’s schooling and peers
- Does not respond to the child’s social behaviors
3. Terrorizing
Narcissistic parents may often use their words and their size in order to to terrorize and scare their children. They yell and they curse their children until the time comes that they their children become damaged psychologically.
When a child shows normal emotions, the child may become severely damaged until the child does not know how to act anymore.
The child may be treated with harsh words and may be abandoned for the simplest actions. The child will grow up feeling scared and intimidated all the time.
The child may also hear other forms of abuse at home and may personally experience it from one or both parents.
- Yelling and cursing
- Unpredictable and inconsistent replies to the child’s actions
- Raging emotions with some slight periods of warmth
- Fighting with other family members in front of the child
- Threatening to harm the things, people or animals the child loves
- Inconsistent emotions
- Telling the child that he does not belong with the rest of the family
- Embarrassing the child in front of his peers
- Threatening to kick out the child or the teenager outside the house
- Ridiculing child in front of other people
- Forcing the child to watch acts that the child is not comfortable in
- Threatening to abandon the child at home or in public
- Verbal threats
- Excessive and malicious teasing
4. Isolating
Narcissistic parents who make use of isolation as a tactic may normally stop the child from being with other children and doing other activities that other children do like playing.
A baby may be kept in one room with absolutely no stimulation. A teenager may not be allowed to go to the prom or to participate in other extra curricular activities. A child may be restricted from eating or even drinking.
Sometimes, the child is even stopped from going to the bathroom as a form of punishment for what the child supposedly did. These things can be considered as emotional abuse depending on how often these things are done and how severe the actions are.
- Keeping the child away from the rest of the family members
- Stopping the child to form friendships with other children his age
- Making sure that the child does not look like the others
- Making the child study excessively or do chores excessively
- Punishing a child for doing something “normal”
- Preventing the child from doing activities outside the house
- Isolating the child from peers
- Giving rewards to the child when the child rejects social contact from other people
- Leaving the child alone for long periods of time
5. Corrupting
These are narcissistic parents who expose their children to things that they are not supposed to be seeing like violence, criminal activities and even sexual activities.
These are also parents who force their children to steal or to do harm towards other people and animals. Encouraging children to undergo illegal activities is already a form of corruption.
- Giving rewards when children participate in bullying behavior
- Encouraging children to become violent while playing sports
- Reinforcement of any sexual activity
- Rewarding a child for doing substance abuse
- Allowing children to promote illegal activities
- Providing children and teenagers with illegal substances
- Allowing a child to lie, cheat and steal
- Teaching racism or bigotry
6. Exploiting
This is a tendency of parents to assign activities for children that they should not be responsible for yet.
For example, if a 10 year old child would be forced to look for means to have dinner served on the table, this is already a form of exploitation. Exploitation involves forcing a child to do something that is greater than what a child that age can handle.
- Infants and young children are forced to stop crying.
- A child is expected to take care of an adult
- A child is expected to take care of other siblings
- Blaming the child when one of the younger children misbehaves
- Giving the child the responsibility of supporting the whole household financially
- Sexually abusing the child or youth
- Encouraging the child’s participation in pornography in order to make money
- Placing a heavy load on the child’s responsibilities around and outside the house
- Anger when a child fails to do something that he is “responsible” for
