Interesting Psychology Team
Were your parents way too focused on themselves? Did they make everything about them and not really care about your feelings? If this sounds familiar, you might have narcissistic parents.
Narcissistic parents treat their kids more like accessories than real people. Your job was to make your parents look good, not to have needs of your own. They were all about getting compliments and being the center of attention. You were just supposed to smile for the camera.
So not cool, right?
This quiz will help you figure out if your parents were more into themselves than into taking care of you. Be honest – it’s the only way to get real insight into your family drama.
It may be painful, but reflecting on these dynamics can help you heal. You need to know where your parents fell short so you can move forward. Don’t expect their narcissism to just magically get better though. You’ve gotta set some boundaries and focus more on yourself.
So get ready to unpack those childhood memories! It’s quiz time.
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Question of
When I was young, my parents:
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Took lots of pictures of me and told everyone how special I was
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Seemed interested in my activities and cared about my feelings
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Ignored me or got annoyed when I wanted attention
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Dominated conversations and made everything about them
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Embarrassed me or criticized me constantly
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Question of
When I had an accomplishment, my parents:
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Praised me and made me feel really proud
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Congratulated me and celebrated my achievement
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Seemed disinterested or minimized my accomplishment
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Took all the credit and talked about how it reflected well on them
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Pointed out mistakes or flaws in my performance
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Question of
When I was upset, my parents:
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Validated my feelings and comforted me
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Listened supportively and tried to understand
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Ignored me or told me to stop being dramatic
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Got annoyed that I was ruining their mood
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Told me I was too sensitive or overreacting
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Question of
When I talked about my dreams for the future, my parents:
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Encouraged me to pursue my passions
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Offered realistic feedback but supported my goals
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Seemed bored and quickly changed the subject
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Tried to sabotage my plans if they didn’t align with their hopes
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Laughed at my ideas or told me I would fail
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Question of
When I disagreed with my parents, they:
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Respected my different opinion
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Had calm discussions to express our views
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Shut down the conversation immediately
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Lectured me until I gave up and agreed with them
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Punished me harshly for daring to challenge them
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Question of
When other people complimented me, my parents:
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Felt proud and praised me too
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Agreed I deserved the positive feedback
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Seemed annoyed the focus wasn’t on them
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Took the credit themselves for my accomplishments
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Found a way to criticize me instead
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Question of
When I made a mistake, my parents:
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Helped me learn from it and move on
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Disciplined me fairly but with understanding
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Used it as proof I would never amount to anything
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Ranted about how I embarrassed them
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Called me names or inflicted cruel punishments
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Question of
My parents showed interest in my life by:
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Regularly asking about my thoughts, feelings and activities
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Attending my events and knowing my friends
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Only paying attention when it benefited them
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Wanting to know every detail to live vicariously
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Snooping and controlling everything I did
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Question of
My parents were most focused on:
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Nurturing my emotional needs
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Making sure I felt secure and loved
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Their own lives and interests
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Their image and what others thought of them
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My flaws and controlling my behavior
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Question of
When I went to them with a problem, my parents:
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Patiently helped me find solutions
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Offered caring advice to help me
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Minimized my concerns and told me to handle it myself
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Found a way to make it about them instead
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Berated me for bothering them with my issues
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Question of
My parents showed affection by:
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Regular hugs, praise and saying “I love you”
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Quality time, acts of service and thoughtful gifts
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Affection was not really part of our relationship
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Constantly telling me how great they were as parents
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Controlling everything I did in the name of “love”
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Question of
When I spent time with other families, I noticed:
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My friends’ parents treated them similarly to my own
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My family seemed stricter than most
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My friends’ parents were more involved and interested
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Other parents were less obsessed with status and image
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My friends had more freedom and were not belittled like I was
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Question of
As an adult looking back, I believe:
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My parents did the best they could and made some mistakes
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My parents were a bit flawed but overall loving
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My emotional needs weren’t a priority in my family
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My parents used me to feel valued about themselves
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My parents were toxic, narcissistic and abusive
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