What causes a person to develop a bad temper? [I Hated My Childhood]

My mother had a terrible temper, easily triggered by almost any little thing. I walked on eggs in her presence. You could never really tell what might set her off. She once threw a chair across a restaurant because she mistakenly believed the waitress had brought salad dressing (on a lazy Susan) when she hadn't ordered it. During their marriage (which ended in divorce) she beat up my dad and sent him to an Emergency hospital three times.

How do people get that way? Have you ever known anyone like my mother?

cherokeepatti · 61-69, F

My father was that way. I don’t know if he had a genetic predisposition towards psychopathy or if it was because his mother doted on him, he was her first-born son. I think whenever one child is doted on at the expense of the others that it sets them up for severe personality disorders that last a lifetime.

greenmountaingal · 70-79, F

@cherokeepatti My mother grew up favored strongly over her sibling, a half sister. Maybe that was a factor.

cherokeepatti · 61-69, F

@greenmountaingal yes I believe that it gives the doted on child a false sense of power and results in narcissism. The family dynamic is very important