A malignant narcissist may try to force you to raise their wounded inner child for several reasons, all of which are rooted in their manipulative and exploitative nature. Here are some possible reasons:
Emotional Manipulation: Malignant narcissists are skilled at emotional manipulation. By making you feel responsible for their emotional well-being, they gain control over you and ensure you prioritize their needs above your own.
Lack of Empathy: Narcissists typically lack empathy for others, including their partners. They may see you as a tool to fulfill their emotional needs rather than a separate individual with your own feelings and desires.
Dependency: Malignant narcissists often seek to create a dependent dynamic in their relationships. They want to be the center of attention and need constant validation, admiration, and emotional support from others, including their partners.
Avoiding Responsibility: By forcing you to focus on their inner child wounds, the narcissist can evade taking responsibility for their own actions and emotional well-being. They may use their past traumas as a way to excuse harmful behavior.
Power and Control: Malignant narcissists thrive on exerting power and control over others. By making you responsible for their emotional healing, they further assert dominance and manipulate you into fulfilling their desires.
Idealization and Devaluation Cycle: Narcissists often follow a cycle of idealizing their partners in the beginning, then devaluing and discarding them later. Forcing you to cater to their wounded inner child may be part of the idealization phase, where they make you feel indispensable and significant.
Boundary Violation: A malignant narcissist has little regard for personal boundaries. They may intrude upon your emotional space and coerce you into taking on roles and responsibilities that you are not comfortable with.
It's important to recognize that it is not your responsibility to fix or heal a narcissist's inner child wounds. Trying to do so can be emotionally exhausting and detrimental to your well-being. Narcissistic individuals rarely change, and their behavior tends to be deeply ingrained.
If you find yourself in such a situation, consider seeking support from a therapist or counselor who specializes in narcissistic abuse and codependency. Establishing healthy boundaries and prioritizing your emotional well-being is essential in dealing with a malignant narcissist. In some cases, removing yourself from the relationship entirely may be the best course of action for your own safety and happiness.