Investigation of the relationship between perceived maternal narcissism, early maladaptive schemas, and cognitive flexibility in married women

This study aimed to examine the relationships between narcissistic traits perceived from the mother, early maladaptive coping schemas and cognitive flexibility in married women. The study, which was carried out with a questionnaire application, which is one of the quantitative research methods, was conducted with 335 married women participants. The data were subjected to statistical analysis using the IBM SPSS Statistic v.23 software package. The findings revealed that narcissistic traits perceived from the mother are related to early maladaptive coping schemas and cognitive flexibility. It was found that young married women have higher levels of high standards and suppression, whereas women in the young-middle age group have more impaired personal boundaries. In addition, the role of educational level in maladaptive schemas of married women was examined and it was found that individuals with higher educational level developed less maladaptive schemas and formed healthier cognitive and emotional structures. Correlation analyses showed that there were relationships between cognitive flexibility, early maladaptive schemas, and narcissism perceived from the mother. However, unexpectedly, a positive yet non-significant relationship was found between cognitive flexibility and narcissism perceived from the mother. In conclusion, this study has made an important contribution to understanding the factors affecting the psychological health of married women. It provides recommendations for developing specific intervention strategies, preventive and supportive training, social programs, and strengthening psychological support systems for young and middle-aged women and those with lower education levels.