I suddenly remembered an article I once read saying that the kids who were hated by narcissistic parents are better off in the long run than the "Golden Child" because they function better in the real world. That might be the difference.

My older sister was spoiled by our stepfather because she went along with whatever he wanted, helped him bully me, and even helped him commit crimes against people I liked. He flattered her, saying she was a genius and more intelligent and beautiful than all her peers. If she complained about someone, he would go yell at them.

My sister grew up really ignorant and perpetually outraged that the rest of the world doesn't recognize her "genius" or give her the special treatment she got from a bad parent. The slightest setback makes her say she wants to buy a gun to shoot people, because she feels small and powerless having to live and work like an ordinary person.

So that seems to be the alternate outcome. If you had been the golden child of a narcissist, you might have grown up as a copy of your narcissist parent without any EQ.