If your son, your nephew or any child you know shows hostile and oppositional behavior towards their parents, in which there are continuous incidents of insults, humiliation, threats and/acts of physical violence towards the parents, they may suffer from the condition. popularly known as “Emperor syndrome”.
This behavioral disorder manifests itself through child-parent violence towards one or both parents and, according to the classification of the American Psychologist Association (APA), it is closely related to Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD). If you want to know in greater depth what it is, how to detect it, what its causes and possible treatments are, Keep reading! In this Psychology-Online article, we will talk to you about Emperor syndrome: symptoms, causes and treatment.
Symptoms of Emperor syndrome
How do I know if my child has emperor syndrome? If you want to know, below we show you the main symptoms of Emperor syndrome:
- General attitude of hostility and opposition towards parents.
- Existence of continued incidents such as insults, humiliations, threats and/or acts of physical violence towards one or both parents.
- The violence usually begins in early adolescence or preadolescence, although previous indicators such as rebellion, hostility or emotional detachment can be observed.
- Inability to develop moral emotions such as empathy, love and compassion.
- Difficulty showing guilt: They do not show sincere regret for bad actions. They tend to blame others for their behaviors. In this article we tell you.
- They find it difficult to follow established rules: inability to learn from mistakes and discuss the punishments imposed by their parents.
- The boy or girl seeks his or her own benefit, guided by great egocentrism.
- Habitual defiance behaviorslies and even cruel acts towards siblings and friends.
- They present Low tolerance to frustrationexpressing tantrums, attacks of anger, insults, etc.
- Few resources for problem solving: difficulty facing experiences that they do not control. They expect others to solve their problems.
- They think they are the center of attention and all their demands must be met. But once they get what they want, they become dissatisfied again and ask for more things.
- They usually have low self-esteem. Discover how to treat .
Causes of Emperor syndrome
How is Emperor syndrome generated? The violence of a son or daughter towards their parents can originate due to certain situations. Let’s see what the main causes of Emperor syndrome are:
- Children who have been abused or have been subject to serious parental neglect. In this article you will see what the are.
- Children suffering from serious mental disorders: for example, some psychotic disorders that cause them to see threats where there are none and, for that reason, act violently towards their parents.
- Young people addicted to substances and/or who are under the effect of them.
- Altered constitution of the nervous system in boys and girls: genetic cause that makes the educational task of parents difficult. It makes it difficult for them to control their impulses and has consequences in the emotional sphere. Even so, genetics is not decisive and it is influenced by the environment and the psycho-social environment.
Emperor syndrome treatment
If you are wondering how to treat Emperor syndrome, it is important propose multimodal interventions designed specifically for the deficiencies of each case, including behavioral, cognitive, family, social, and pharmacological interventions, if necessary. It is also recommended to combine individual and group interventions.
When designing the treatment, we must take into account that Emperor syndrome has a tendency to become chronic, so consideration should be given to long-term follow-ups. Furthermore, if you have comorbid psychological disorders, it will also be necessary to create an intervention plan for these.
Since multimodal treatments are the most effective, we will have to intervene, in addition to the boy or girl, with the parents and the school. Next, we will see how to carry out the treatment of Emperor syndrome in each case:
- Intervention with parents: Behavioral treatment is the one that has shown the greatest effectiveness to date for children of younger ages. It is important that they acquire tools to deal with behavioral problems in children with the aim of establishing effective interaction at home.
- Individual intervention with the child: Through the , the objective will be to increase minors’ awareness of themselves and the emotions of others. Teach them to manage their emotions and behaviors and promote a positive concept of relationships with peers and family, as well as enhance the development of skills that improve problem solving. In the treatment of Emperor syndrome, psychoeducation of the problem will be worked on with behavior modification and cognitive restructuring techniques.
- Intervention at school: Anticipate what may be problematic situations and immediately explain the consequences, both positive for doing it right and negative for doing it wrong, and creating a reward/punishment system.
Once the treatment for Emperor syndrome is completed, it is advisable to do follow-up sessions in the first monthto the 3 months already the 6 months to reassess the situation and detect any violent behavior again.
This article is merely informative, at Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
If you want to read more articles similar to Emperor syndrome: symptoms, causes and treatmentwe recommend that you enter our category.
Bibliography
- American psychiatric association, (2014). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders DSM – 5. Madrid, Spain. Pan-American medical publishing house.
- Díaz Sibaja, M. (2014). Disruptive Behavior Disorders: Oppositional Defiant Disorder and Conduct Disorder. Madrid. Dykinson. pp 503-556
- Garrido, V. (2009). Abusive children, what is the emperor syndrome?. 964 (1) pp 66-71
- Labrador, FJ, (ed.) (2008). Behavior modification techniques. Madrid. Pyramid.