title: Self-functioning and perceived parenting: relations of parental empathy and love inconsistency with narcissism, depression, and self-esteem.
abstract: In Heinz Kohut's (1977, 1984) theory of the psychology of the self, good parenting provides a child with optimal frustration and just the right amount of loving empathic concern. In the present study, the authors examined the relations of perceived parental empathy and love inconsistency with measures of narcissism, self-esteem, and depression. In a sample of university undergraduates (N=232; 78 men, 153 women, and 1 nonresponder), perceived parental empathy predicted more adaptive self-functioning, whereas parental love inconsistency was related to psychological maladjustment. These results support the theoretical assumption that perceived parental empathy is associated with healthy self-development.
authors.affiliation: The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, 37403, USA.
authors.forename: Nevelyn N
authors.initials: NN
authors.lastname: Trumpeter
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Watson
authors.forename: Brian J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: O'Leary
authors.forename: Bart L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Weathington
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology*; D004645:Empathy; D005260:Female; D005639:Frustration; D006801:Humans; D008149:Love; D008297:Male; D008960:Models, Psychological; D009289:Narcissism; D009769:Object Attachment; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D016487:Parenting / Q000523:psychology*; D010465:Perception; D012649:Self Concept; D020377:Self Efficacy; D019455:Self Psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires