Helicopter Parenting and Late-Adolescent Narcissism: A Multifaceted Examination of Four Theories

• In Event: Poster Session 13
  In Poster Session: PS 13 Topic - Social, Emotional, Personality

Abstract

Helicopter parenting is an intrusive parenting practice consisting of developmentally inappropriate behaviors. It has been associated with a variety of adolescent traits, including narcissism -- a trait in which individuals feel superior and entitled. Four theoretical perspectives, in particular, have guided extant research examining the ways that parenting contributes to narcissism in children, including social learning theory (Millon, 1981), psychoanalytic theory (Kohut, 1977), object relations theory (Rothstein, 1979), and Kernberg's theory of narcissism development (Kernberg 1975). Research evidence, however, has been equivocal because different constructs are assessed. Social learning theory and Kohut’s psychoanalytic perspective proposes that high levels of warmth (indulgence) promotes narcissism. Kernberg (1977) contends that parental hostility underlies narcissistic socialization. All theories suggest some form in intrusive and controlling parenting. One objective was to determine whether helicopter parenting is uniquely associated with the development of narcissism above warmth, hostility, and control in predicting adolescent narcissistic tendencies.
Contemporary research shows that narcissism is multifaceted consisting of grandiose (sense of rivalry and need for admiration) and vulnerable types (Back et al., Miller et al., 2013). We propose that the equivocal findings of past research exist because dimensions of narcissism were not considered. Helicopter parenting also is recognized to be multidimensional. Given the different theoretical approaches to the means by which parenting is linked to adolescent narcissism, we proposed that different patterns of associations between warmth, hostility, and dimensions of helicopter parenting will emerge as a function of the particular narcissistic dimension.
Participants and Method
Late adolescents (n = 792, 77% female, Mage =18.59 years) completed measures of grandiose (rivalry and admiration dimensions) and vulnerable narcissism, warmth and hostility, achievement control, dependency control, and perceptions of maternal helicopter parenting on a secure online website (Qualtrics).
Results and Discussion
Bivariate analyses showed that narcissistic admiration positively correlated with warmth and direct intervention (Table 1). Narcissistic rivalry negatively correlated with warmth and positively correlated with hostility, achievement control, dependency control, academic and personal management, direct intervention and autonomy limiting. Narcissistic vulnerability negatively correlated with warmth, and positively correlated with hostility, achievement control, dependency control, information seeking, academic and personal management, direct intervention and autonomy limiting. Dimensions of helicopter parenting generally correlated positively associated with warmth, hostility, achievement control and dependency control. Information seeking and achievement control correlated positively.
Hierarchical regression analyses, where parental warmth, hostility, achievement control, and dependency control entered in the first step and the dimensions of helicopter parenting entered in the second step, were calculated. For admiration, warmth was positively and uniquely associated. For narcissistic rivalry, achievement control was positively related in the first step with information seeking negatively related and academic and personal management positively related in the second step. Predictors of vulnerable narcissism included positive associations with parental hostility and dependency control (Step1) and inversely with autonomy limiting in Step 2. In sum, different patterns of associations were revealed depending on the quality of narcissism predicted thereby supporting extant theories and demonstrating a more nuanced understanding of the ways in parenting is linked to the socialization of narcissism.

Authors

• Justin Jeramiah Slater, Oakland University
  Presenting Author

• Mary B Eberly Lewis, Oakland University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Meredith A McGinley, University of Wisconsin - Parkside
  Non-Presenting Author

• Wendy M Rote, University of South Florida
  Non-Presenting Author