“SHE DOES NOT CONTROL ME ANYMORE BUT I CAN HEAR HER VOICE SOMETIMES” - A PHENOMENOGRAPHIC RESEARCH ON THE RESILIENCE PERCEPTIONS OF CHILDREN WHO HAVE SURVIVED FROM UPBRINGING BY A NARCISSISTIC PARENT

Marju Määttä, Kaarina Määttä, Satu Uusiautti, Tanja Äärelä

Abstract


This study researched how to survive and lead a healthy life after exposing to a narcissistic parent’s upbringing. The especial focus was to analyze survival and coping in the light of resilience. This was a phenomenographic research in which adults (N=13) who had lived their childhood with a narcissist parent wrote about their experiences and perceptions of survival. The following research question was set for this study: How do the perceptions of adults, who have survived from narcissistic upbringing, evince resilience? The analysis showed that resilience appeared in five categories according to the research participants’ perspectives. The categories were academic, functional, emotional, social, and physical resilience which all had specific sub-categories. An illustration about resilience in children of narcissistic parents is introduced as conclusion.

 

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resilience, narcissism, narcissistic parent, phenomenography, coping

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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.46827/ejes.v0i0.2845

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