What does the golden child think of the scapegoat?

The scapegoat is the cause of all the ills of the family, and the golden child is exalted, lavished with attention and praise. Both are projections of the narcissist parent (or parents), false identities assigned to children who do their best with the roles cast them.

Can you be the golden child and the scapegoat?

Factors as arbitrary as birth order, gender, looks, or intellect may influence an adult to scapegoat a child. For example, the only boy in the family might be the favorite or golden child, while the second-born daughter is assigned the scapegoat role.

What is the meaning of a golden child?

Filters. One who is favored or the favorite (in a family, on a team, at work, etc.), often held in high esteem by others, and for whom there are high hopes.

What makes a child a scapegoat?

Factors as arbitrary as birth order, gender, looks, or intellect may influence an adult to scapegoat a child. For example, the only boy in the family might be the favorite or golden child, while the second-born daughter is assigned the scapegoat role.

What is the difference between a scapegoat and a Golden Child?

While the golden child hovers around the narcissistic hearth, unable to exert even a practicing identity, the scapegoat will normally escape the family home early to exert their independence.

What is the role of the Golden Child?

But, like the scapegoat, the golden child is merely a pawn in the narcissist family system, an extension of the narcissist with no real identity or personal boundaries of his own. To understand the dilemma of the golden child, I spoke with two women who played that role in their families of origin. Here is Lynn’s story. Jan’s will follow in Part 2.

What happens to the Golden Child of a narcissist?

Often the golden child becomes a narcissist like the parent, and modeling the parent’s behavior, targets the scapegoated child with criticism, backstabbing and betrayal in adulthood. This dynamic can often be even worse than what the child was made to suffer at the hands of the parent.