Adult victims of personality disordered parents
(narcissist, borderline, anti-social, etc)

The world of psychology is constantly developing and is now beginning to understand the importance of empathy and how the lack of it within the family unit can impact hugely on the developing child, the consequences of which can be carried into adulthood, often affecting the way a person sees themselves, and others. This can cause anxiety, depression, and even physical health issues which can impact negatively upon professional and personal relationships, affecting people's careers, marriages, the way that they interact with others in everyday life and how they navigate the world in general.

Physical abuse can be easier to identify in dysfunctional families, but emotional and psychological abuse can often go on for years, often covert with outlying family and friends on the periphery being completely unaware of the dysfunction, seeing the family as perfectly normal, with even the victims not recognising that they are being abused, often blaming themselves and taking feelings of inadequacy and guilt into adulthood. Adult victims can often develop the traits of the parents who abused them and may repeat this cycle with their own children. Learning how to understand and recognise abusive behaviour which is often covert, can help us understand others, understand ourselves and this can allow movement towards positive change and help us navigate our way through life more effectively.