In The Chosen, by Chaim Potok Danny Saunder's father wants him to follow in his footsteps and become Hasidic Rabi. In order to achieve this goal his father becomes controlling of Danny's life. He does not want to become a Rabi though. Danny hides his own ideas of what he wants to do with his life from his father, and puts up a facade of what his father wants him to be instead.

In the article "The Possible Effects of the Over-Controlling Parent" David Hosier discusses how when parents become over controlling it can cause a child to create a false self. They may change or hide the way they really feel to please their parents. It can also make them feel guilty about who they actually are, because their parents disapprove of their beliefs, friends, or decisions in life. "This can lead the child to feeling angry, resentful and confused,"(Hosier, 2). They become the image of whom their parents want them to be, not who they want to be. "In this way, the boundary between the parent’s ‘self’ and the young person’s ‘self’ can become blurred, nebulous and indistinct and can lead to their (the child’s and parent’s) identities becoming ENMESHED," (Hosier,8).

Even if the effects of controlling parenting do not show up right away, effects that take place later on in life as an adult can hinder a person. They lack a sense of who they actually are which can lead to difficulty in being creative. There opinions have been their parent's opinions for so long, they have trouble expressing their own thoughts. The decisions that have been made in their life have been made by their parents, so when it comes time for them to make a decision on their own, they are lost. They also carry on their false self, and "possess aspects of him/herself s/he has never developed/kept hidden from others/suppressed/repressed," (Hosier, 11).