The article discusses how parents project their unrealized dreams onto their children, often leading to perfectionism. This behavior can result in children blaming themselves for their parents' unhappiness and striving for unrealistic standards. Perfectionism is misconceived as a response to failures, while it is actually a complex interplay of both parental and self expectations. The consequences of this dynamic can leave both parents and children feeling lost, with children becoming 'narcissistic extensions' of their caregivers, ultimately struggling to identify their own desires and needs.
"Alice Miller suggested that many families contain one child whose natural intuitive talents are unconsciously exploited by caregivers for the maintenance of their self-esteem."
"At its core, narcissism is an inability to care for oneself because, in part, one doesn't know what they, individually, truly want or need."
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