Self-Coldness, Rather Than Self-Compassion, Mediates the Link between Parent–Child Emotional Enmeshment and Feelings of Inferiority

Abstract Objectives This study examined whether self-compassion and self-coldness mediate the association between parent–child emotional enmeshment and feelings of inferiority. Emotional enmeshment—defined as a parent’s reliance on their child to meet their own unmet emotional and relational needs—can be conceptualized as a form of psychological maltreatment. Inferiority feelings, an Adlerian construct, capture maladaptive self-perceptions theorized to arise from dysfunctional parenting and adverse childhood experiences. While childhood maltreatment has consistently been linked to negative self-perceptions, the connection between emotional enmeshment and feelings of inferiority, as well as the role of self-regulatory processes in this relationship, remains underexplored. Method A convenience sample of 381 adults (79.8% female; age range = 18–75 years) from the community voluntarily completed an online survey that included the Childhood Emotional Incest Scale, the Self-Compassion Scale, and the Inferiority Feelings Scale. Participants were required to be at least 18 years old and fluent in Turkish. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM). Results Parent–child emotional enmeshment was a significant predictor of feelings of inferiority. However, only self-coldness, not self-compassion, mediated this relationship, suggesting that emotional enmeshment is linked to heightened feelings of inferiority through self-critical processes. Sensitivity analysis excluding participants aged 60 and above, along with multi-group SEM analyses comparing early (18–29), mid (30–49), and later (50 +) adulthood, indicated that these associations were robust and invariant across age groups. Conclusions The findings provide preliminary evidence that self-coldness plays a stronger role than self-compassion in linking parent–child emotional enmeshment to feelings of inferiority. Although causal inferences are limited by the cross-sectional design, the results underscore the potential value of interventions to reduce self-critical tendencies among children exposed to emotional enmeshment, as well as preventive strategies that promote healthier parent–child boundaries. Preregistration This study is not preregistered.