Fluctuations in grandiose and vulnerable narcissistic states: A momentary perspective

Showing True Colours: EMA Case Descriptions of Narcissistic States

Traditionally, narcissistic characteristics are considered relatively stable, although clinical accounts and recent research show that additional narcissistic states are variable and fluctuate in actuality. Narcissism research tends to focus on cross-sectional, group-based, trait approaches. Momentary ecological assessments allow one to discover individuals' true colors by observing narcissistic experiences while they unfold in real-time and real-world settings. Within momentary ecological assessments, inspecting single cases enables insight into individual dynamics and presentations. Consequently, this research collected grandiose and vulnerable narcissistic trait and state data 10 times a day for 6 days. Based on the highest trait scores, two individual cases are presented per category: predominantly grandiose narcissistic, predominantly vulnerable narcissistic, and combined narcissistic. Overall, the descriptions provide evidence for the dynamics within and between grandiose and vulnerable narcissistic states. Further, broad patterns for each narcissistic dimension were uncovered, in which the grandiose subdimension experienced mainly grandiosity, and the vulnerable and combined subdimensions experienced both grandiosity and vulnerability. Out of the three, the combined subdimension experienced the highest instability and levels of daily vulnerability. However, each individual case showed unique fluctuation patterns that highlight the importance of personalized, real-life assessments in research and clinical care.

The Unified Narcissism Scale-Revised: Expanding Measurement and Understanding of Narcissism Across Cultures

The study of narcissism has been hindered by conceptual, theoretical, and measurement in-consistencies. In this article, we report two studies that tested a novel unified conceptualization and theoretical approach to narcissism using the Unified Narcissism Scale-Revised. Study 1 revised the recently developed Unified Narcissism Scale to construct a preliminary 40-item measure in a sample of 395 American participants (Mage = 41). We confirmed the five-factor first-order model, the two-factor second-order model, and the one-factor third-order model. Study 2 considered the cross-cultural performance of the revised scale in the Chinese language in China (N = 326, Mage = 25.5 years) and in the English language in Sri Lanka (N = 354 Mage = 28.7 years) and constructed a final 35-item measure. In conducting these studies, we have demonstrated the cross-cultural importance of entitlement and self-esteem to the conceptualization of narcissism and suggest that the negative relationship between narcissism and agreeableness may be culture-specific to Western samples (as evidenced by the absence of this relationship in non-Western samples). In this article, we have constructed a measure of narcissism that has refined our understanding of the construct and created a tool to capture this understanding.

Adult ADHD and pathological narcissism: A retrospective-analysis

Adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is often associated with personality pathology. However, only few studies have been conducted on the link between ADHD and pathological narcissism (PN), with or without a diagnosis of narcissistic personality disorder (NPD). In order to fill this gap, PN and NPD were assessed in 164 subjects suffering from ADHD, with several other measures including ADHD severity, quality of life, depression, anxiety, impulsivity, and emotion dysregulation (ED). We found that a significant proportion of ADHD patients suffered from NPD, and that both narcissistic grandiosity and vulnerability were associated with ADHD hyperactivity and impulsivity symptoms, but not with inattentive symptoms. These two dimensions seemed to be negatively associated with well-being and positively associated with most of the other studied psychiatric dimensions except ED, the latter being only associated with vulnerability, even after adjustment on borderline symptoms. Overall, despite important limitations that limit the generalizability of our findings to the overall ADHD population (notably linked to selection bias), we believe that this exploratory study sheds light on the potential clinical relevance of narcissistic pathology in adult ADHD patients.

Association between pathological narcissism and emotion regulation: The role of self-mentalizing?

Pathological narcissism (PN) is a common psychopathological issue leading to maladaptive strategies to cope with self-esteem threats, including self-enhancement and exploitation (grandiose strategies) or internalized shame, depression, and social withdrawal (vulnerable strategies). Mentalizing is a key process for regulating self and other representations and their associated emotions. Patients with PN further struggle with emotion dysregulation (ED), which during development is intertwined with the growing capacity to mentalize. We seek to contribute to emerging empirical data documenting the associations between PN and ED and between PN and mentalizing, and to provide information on the nature of their mutual relationships. In the present study, we assessed PN, ED, and three mentalizing dimensions (mentalizing self, other, and motivation to mentalize) in 183 patients consulting in our outpatient unit specialized in ED. We found that narcissistic vulnerability was negatively associated with self-mentalizing and positively associated with overall ED, both even after adjustment for borderline and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms. However, the association with ED was not maintained after further adjustment for self-mentalizing or overall-mentalizing, which suggests that mentalizing may play a mediating role in this relationship. On the other hand, narcissistic grandiosity was positively associated with other-mentalizing and ED and negatively associated with self-mentalizing in bivariate analyses, but these last two associations were not maintained after adjustment for comorbid borderline and/or ADHD symptomatology. This study provides new information on the link between PN and ED and on key mentalizing dimensions meaningfully relating to PN, notably through a potential role of self-mentalizing processes between PN and ED.

Momentary assessment of the relations between narcissistic traits, interpersonal behaviors, and aggression

INTRODUCTION

This study explores the associations among narcissistic traits, interpersonal behaviors, and aggression using repeated, situation-based measurement. We examine narcissism's relations with aggression across three levels of its theorized hierarchy (level 1: narcissism; level 2: grandiose vs. vulnerable narcissism; level 3: antagonism, agentic extraversion, and narcissistic neuroticism).

METHODS

Using an experience-sampling approach, the current study examined the effects of narcissism and its finer-grained components on daily affective experiences and aggressive behaviors in the context of interpersonal interactions. Data were collected from 477 undergraduate students who were instructed to complete four prompts a day for ten consecutive days.

RESULTS

Narcissism at the global construct level positively predicted multiple indices of episodic aggression (i.e., aggressive temper, aggressive urge, verbal aggression). At the dual-dimension level, grandiose narcissism specifically predicted aggression, and then at the trifurcated level, interpersonal antagonism predicted aggression by itself and in interaction with event-level negative affect. Negative affect consistently exhibited both within- and between-person effects on aggression.

CONCLUSION

In real-life social interactions, narcissism dimensions differentially affect the way individuals experience social interactions and process negative affect, and thus in both research and clinical practice, narcissism is best assessed as a heterogeneous, multidimensional construct.

The links of subjective and psychological well-being with the Dark Triad traits: A meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study is to investigate the specific links that the Dark Triad traits have with subjective and psychological well-being through a meta-analysis of the existing literature.

BACKGROUND

Over the past few years, associations between the Dark Triad traits and well-being have been a stimulating but understudied topic in personality research.

METHOD

Cross-sectional, correlational studies examining these relationships were searched in the PsycINFO, PubMed, and Web of Science databases. Meta-analyses were performed at the dimension- and facet-level to account for the multidimensional structure of the Dark Triad traits.

RESULTS

A total of 55 studies were included (n = 26,252). In general, grandiose narcissism and boldness/dominance related to higher well-being, while vulnerable narcissism, antagonism, disinhibition, and Machiavellianism related to lower levels of well-being. Age and gender moderated few of these associations.

CONCLUSIONS

We recommend including multidimensional measures of the Dark Triad traits as an essential step to move the field forward.

From cross-lagged effects to feedback effects: Further insights into the estimation and interpretation of bidirectional relations

Bidirectional relations have long been of interest in psychology and other social behavioral sciences. In recent years, the widespread use of intensive longitudinal data has provided new opportunities to examine dynamic bidirectional relations between variables. However, most previous studies have focused on the effect of one variable on the other (i.e., cross-lagged effects) rather than the overall effect representing the dynamic interplay between two variables (i.e., feedback effects), which we believe may be due to a lack of relevant methodological guidance. To quantify bidirectional relations as a whole, this study attempted to provide guidance for the estimation and interpretation of feedback effects based on dynamic structural equation models. First, we illustrated the estimation procedure for the average and person-specific feedback effects. Then, to facilitate the interpretation of feedback effects, we established an empirical benchmark by quantitatively synthesizing the results of relevant empirical studies. Finally, we used a set of empirical data to demonstrate how feedback effects can help (a) test theories based on bidirectional relations and (b) reveal correlates of individual differences in bidirectional relations. We also discussed the broad application prospects of feedback effects from a dynamic systems perspective. This study provides guidance for applied researchers interested in further examining feedback effects in bidirectional relations, and the shift from focusing on cross-lagged effects only to a comprehensive consideration of feedback effects may provide new insights into the study of bidirectional relations.

On the importance of being clear about the level of analysis of interest: An illustration using the case of self-compassion

OBJECTIVE

Theories about within-person (WP) variation are often tested using between-person (BP) research, despite the well-established fact that results may not generalize across levels of analysis. One possible explanation is vague theories that do not specify which level of analysis is of interest. We illustrate such a case using the construct of self-compassion. The factor structure at the BP level has been highly debated, although the theory is actually concerned with relationships at the WP level.

METHOD

Multilevel confirmatory factor analysis was applied to experience-sampling data of self-compassion (N = 213, with n = 4052 measurement occasions).

RESULTS

At both levels of analysis, evidence for a two-factor model was found. However, the factors were moderately related at the WP level (r = 0.37, p < 0.001) but largely independent at the BP level (r = 0.04, p = 0.696). Exploratory analyses revealed considerable heterogeneity in the WP relationship among individuals.

CONCLUSION

We discuss how our results provide new impulses to move the debate around self-compassion forward. Lastly, we outline how the WP level-which is of major interest for self-compassion and other constructs in psychology-can guide the conceptualization and assessment to promote advancements of the theory and resulting applications.

Individual-Specific Animated Profiles of Mental Health

How important is the timing of the pretreatment evaluation? If we consider mental health to be a relatively fixed condition, the specific timing (e.g., day, hour) of the evaluation is immaterial and often determined on the basis of technical considerations. Indeed, the fundamental assumption underlying the vast majority of psychotherapy research and practice is that mental health is a state that can be captured in a one-dimensional snapshot. If this fundamental assumption, underlying 80 years of empirical research and practice, is incorrect, it may help explain why for decades psychotherapy failed to rise above the 50% efficacy rate in the treatment of mental-health disorders, especially depression, a heterogeneous disorder and the leading cause of disability worldwide. Based on recent studies suggesting within-individual dynamics, this article proposes that mental health and its underlying therapeutic mechanisms have underlying intrinsic dynamics that manifest across dimensions. Computational psychotherapy is needed to develop individual-specific pretreatment animated profiles of mental health. Such individual-specific animated profiles are expected to improve the ability to select the optimal treatment for each patient, devise adequate treatment plans, and adjust them on the basis of ongoing evaluations of mental-health dynamics, creating a new understanding of therapeutic change as a transition toward a more adaptive animated profile.

Callous-Unemotional Traits in Adolescents' Daily Life: Associations with Affect and Emotional and Conduct Problems

Intensive longitudinal methods (e.g., daily diary) inform understanding of dynamic processes by parsing within-person state-like fluctuations from stable between-person trait-like differences. In this exploratory study, we investigated whether self-reported callous-unemotional (CU) traits (callousness, uncaring) demonstrated daily fluctuations, as well as whether daily CU traits were associated with multiple forms of daily emotional and behavioral functioning. A sample of 99 adolescents (55.8% female; Mage = 14.60 years) provided baseline information and completed a naturalistic 30-day diary reporting on CU traits, positive and negative affect, and emotional and conduct problems in their daily lives. Dynamic structural equation modeling revealed that many CU traits items showed within-person autoregressive and cross-lagged links; however, there was substantial between-person variation in within-person fluctuations across items. At the subscale level, cross-day associations were observed between callousness and uncaring, conduct problems and uncaring, positive affect and callousness, negative affect and emotional problems, and emotional problems and negative affect. By harnessing intensive longitudinal data, our findings provide preliminary state-level evidence of CU traits, as well as functional information with regards to CU traits and emotional and behavioral problems in daily life. We consider the implications of our findings in terms of informing future CU traits intensive longitudinal evaluations.

Narcissism predicts noise perception but not signal decoding in emotion

Grandiose narcissists claim that they have better-than-average emotion recognition abilities, but many objective tests do not support this claim. We sought to clarify the relation between grandiose (both agentic and communal) narcissism and emotion recognition by taking a closer look at the components of emotion recognition. In two studies (N1 = 147, N2 = 520), using culturally distinct samples and different stimulus materials, we investigated the relation between grandiose narcissism and signal decoding (accurate view of the intended emotion displayed in an expression) as well as noise perception (inaccurate deciphering of secondary emotions that are not part of the emotional message). Narcissism was inconsistently related to signal decoding, but consistently and positively related to noise perception. High grandiose (agentic and communal) narcissists are not necessarily better at signal decoding, but are more susceptible to noise perception. We discuss implications for narcissists' social interactions and interpersonal relationships.

Ego-Boosting Hormone: Self-Reported and Blood-Based Testosterone Are Associated With Higher Narcissism

Grandiose narcissism is defined as increased motivation for status and viewing oneself as entitled and superior to others. We hypothesized that these tendencies might be associated with basal levels of testosterone because testosterone is considered the most social hormone-driving dominance and the motivation to achieve social status. We distinguished between two facets of grandiose narcissism: agentic (i.e., the tendency to self-promotion in order to win others' admiration and social influence) and antagonistic (i.e., a reactive strategy used to restore threatened status). In 283 adult men, we examined the association between these facets of narcissism and blood-tested and self-reported testosterone levels. Agentic narcissism-the default narcissistic strategy-was positively associated with both testosterone indicators. Moreover, self-reported and objectively measured testosterone were positively correlated. These findings extend previous work by showing that the facets of narcissism have distinct hormonal underpinnings.

Age and gender differences in narcissism: A comprehensive study across eight measures and over 250,000 participants

Age and gender differences in narcissism have been studied often. However, considering the rich history of narcissism research accompanied by its diverging conceptualizations, little is known about age and gender differences across various narcissism measures. The present study investigated age and gender differences and their interactions across eight widely used narcissism instruments (i.e., Narcissistic Personality Inventory, Hypersensitive Narcissism Scale, Dirty Dozen, Psychological Entitlement Scale, Narcissistic Personality Disorder Symptoms from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Version IV, Narcissistic Admiration and Rivalry Questionnaire-Short Form, Single-Item Narcissism Scale, and brief version of the Pathological Narcissism Inventory). The findings of Study 1 (N = 5,736) revealed heterogeneity in how strongly the measures are correlated. Some instruments loaded clearly on one of the three factors proposed by previous research (i.e., Neuroticism, Extraversion, Antagonism), while others cross-loaded across factors and in distinct ways. Cross-sectional analyses using each measure and meta-analytic results across all measures (Study 2) with a total sample of 270,029 participants suggest consistent linear age effects (random effects meta-analytic effect of r = -.104), with narcissism being highest in young adulthood. Consistent gender differences also emerged (random effects meta-analytic effect was -.079), such that men scored higher in narcissism than women. Quadratic age effects and Age × Gender effects were generally very small and inconsistent. We conclude that despite the various conceptualizations of narcissism, age and gender differences are generalizable across the eight measures used in the present study. However, their size varied based on the instrument used. We discuss the sources of this heterogeneity and the potential mechanisms for age and gender differences. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

"It's not you, it's me": identity disturbance as the main contributor to interpersonal problems in pathological narcissism

BACKGROUND

Core impairments in self and other functioning typify individuals with personality disorder. While interpersonal dysfunction is a known element of narcissistic disorders, empirical research investigating intrapersonal elements is lacking. The aim of this study was to investigate the internal representations of individuals with grandiose and vulnerable features, as manifested through their attachment styles, and the specific role of identity disturbance in explaining the relationship between pathological narcissism and maladaptive interpersonal functioning.

METHODS

A sample of 270 university students completed the Brief Pathological Narcissism Inventory (B-PNI), the Severity Indices of Personality Problems (SIPP), the Relationship Questionnaire (RQ), and the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems (IIP-32).

RESULTS

Both vulnerable and grandiose narcissism were positively associated with both fearful and preoccupied attachment, and negatively associated with secure attachment, whilst grandiose narcissism was also positively associated with dismissive attachment. Furthermore, unstable representations of self, poor self-reflective functioning, and low sense of purpose fully mediated the relationship between interpersonal problems and grandiose narcissism while partially mediating the relationship between interpersonal problems and vulnerable narcissism.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall, our findings suggest that for individuals presenting with narcissistic features, capacity for adaptive interpersonal functioning is grounded by deficits in identity integration. Implications of these findings are discussed.

Exploring narcissism and human- and animal-centered empathy in pet owners

Having empathy for others is typically generalized to having empathy for animals. However, empathy for humans and for animals are only weakly correlated. Thus, some individuals may have low human-centered empathy but have high animal-centered empathy. Here, we explore whether pet owners who are high in narcissism display empathy towards animals despite their low human-centered empathy. We assessed pet owners' (N = 259) three components of trait narcissism (Agentic Extraversion, Antagonism, and Narcissistic Neuroticism), human- and animal-centered empathy, attitudes towards animals, and their pet attachment. We found that Agentic Extraversion was unrelated to both human- and animal-centered empathy. We also found that Antagonism was related to less empathy for both humans and animals, as well as more negative attitudes towards animals. Lastly, we found that Narcissistic Neuroticism was unrelated to human-centered empathy and positively related to animal-centered empathy and attitudes towards animals. This research furthers our understanding of the relation between empathy towards humans and animals and provides insight into whether animal-assisted approaches may be useful for empathy training in those with narcissistic characteristics.

Clinician perception of pathological narcissism in females: a vignette-based study

The DSM-5 reports that up to 75% of those diagnosed with Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) are males, which denotes that narcissism is a clinical phenomenon that operates differently in men and women. Vulnerable narcissism, which tends to be more prevalent in females and is currently under-appreciated in the DSM-5, may be diagnosed as other "vulnerable" disorders (e.g., Borderline Personality Disorder; BPD). The current study investigated gender differences in clinicians' perceptions of narcissistic pathology. Adopting an online vignette-based study, clinicians (N = 108; 79 females) read clinical case vignettes of hypothetical patients and provided diagnostic ratings of existing personality disorders. Clinicians' diagnostic ratings of NPD were concurrent with the vignette containing grandiose narcissism symptoms, irrespective of patient gender. However, when presented with a vulnerable narcissism vignette, clinicians were significantly more likely to attribute a BPD diagnosis in female patients, compared to male patients. Clinicians with a psychodynamic approach and more experience in practice were also more likely to label vulnerable narcissism symptoms as NPD, compared to those with a CBT approach and less experience in practice. The clinical implications of these results support the shift toward assessing personality dysfunction based on dimensional trait domains.

Grandiosity, vulnerability, and narcissistic fluctuation: Examining reliability, measurement invariance, and construct validity of four brief narcissism measures

Continued interest in the distinction between grandiose narcissism, vulnerable narcissism and the fluctuation between grandiose and vulnerable states has expanded the repertoire of self-report instruments. The present study examined the psychometric properties of four brief narcissism measures [the Narcissistic Personality Inventory-13 (NPI-13), Hypersensitive Narcissism Scale (HSNS), Super-Brief Pathological Narcissism Inventory (SB-PNI), and the g-FLUX] in a Finnish sample of university students. Confirmatory factor analyses supported the reliability of the NPI-13, g-FLUX, SB-PNI Vulnerability, and two HSNS subfactors (Oversensitivity and Egocentrism). Tests of measurement invariance indicated the NPI-13, SB-PNI Vulnerability, HSNS Oversensitivity, and the g-FLUX perform similarly between males and females and are generally similar between individuals in younger and older age groups. Construct and predictive validity were evaluated by examining relations between narcissism measures and relevant criteria including psychopathology symptoms, self-esteem, well-being, five factor traits, and empathy. Results supported the construct validity of all four measures, while correlational profiles highlighted the convergence between the g-FLUX and measures of both grandiosity and vulnerability. The NPI-13 was most predictive of NPD symptoms, whereas vulnerable narcissism measures were most predictive of psychopathology. Results further establish the psychometric properties of the NPI-13, SB-PNI Vulnerability, HSNS Oversensitivity, Egocentrism, and provide new validation of the g-FLUX.

Narcissistic Personality Disorder: Progress in Understanding and Treatment

This review summarizes current knowledge about narcissistic personality disorder (NPD). Each section brings the reader up to date on advances in our knowledge during the last decade. In terms of NPD diagnosis, this review describes the addition of the dimensional model to the categorical model. The accumulating knowledge has led to the description of grandiose and vulnerable narcissism as well as their complex interrelationship. Strong support exists for co-occurrence of these presentations among people with high levels of grandiose narcissism. Studies have identified mechanisms, in domains such as self-esteem dysregulation, emotion dysregulation, cognitive style, interpersonal relations, and empathy, and possible developmental and temperamental antecedents of the disorder. Thus, it appears that NPD has a multifactorial etiology and pathogenesis, with numerous mechanisms associated with each area of dysfunction. Longitudinal studies support the view that these patients can improve, but such improvement is gradual and slow. Several treatments have been developed for the disorder, and a majority share commonalities, including clear goals, attention to treatment frame, attention to relationships and self-esteem, alliance building, and monitoring of countertransference.

The nonlinear association between grandiose and vulnerable narcissism: An individual data meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

Narcissism can manifest in grandiose and vulnerable patterns of experience and behavior. While largely unrelated in the general population, individuals with clinically relevant narcissism are thought to display both. Our previous studies showed that trait measures of grandiosity and vulnerability were unrelated at low-to-moderate levels of grandiose narcissism, but related at high levels.

METHOD

We replicate and extend these findings in a preregistered individual data meta-analysis ("mega-analysis") using data from the Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI)/Hypersensitive Narcissism Scale (HSNS; N = 10,519, k = 28) and the Five-Factor Narcissism Inventory (FFNI; N = 7,738, k = 17).

RESULTS

There was strong evidence for the hypothesis in the FFNI (β_{Grandiose < 1 SD}  = .08, β_{Grandiose > 1 SD}  = .36, β_{Grandiose > 2 SD}  = .53), and weaker evidence in the NPI/HSNS (β_{Grandiose < 1 SD}  = .00, β_{Grandiose > 1 SD}  = .12, β_{Grandiose > 2 SD}  = .32). Nonlinearity increased with age but was invariant across other moderators. Higher vulnerability was predicted by elevated antagonistic and low agentic narcissism at subfactor level.

CONCLUSION

Narcissistic vulnerability increases at high levels of grandiosity. Interpreted along Whole Trait Theory, the effects are thought to reflect state changes echoing in trait measures and can help to link personality and clinical models.

Differentiations in Interpersonal Functioning Across Narcissism Dimensions

Narcissism can be conceived hierarchically at three levels: as a global construct (Level 1), as two dimensions (Level 2; grandiosity and vulnerability), and as a trifurcated model with three underlying dimensions: interpersonal antagonism, narcissistic neuroticism, and agentic extraversion (Level 3). The aim of the study was to examine how narcissism dimensions across the three levels differ in their associations with various forms of interpersonal functioning. The authors assessed multiple domains of interpersonal functioning using data collected from 447 MTurk workers, 606 students, and 365 informants. Each narcissism dimension showed unique interpersonal profiles. The profile of interpersonal antagonism largely resembles grandiose and total narcissism in its interpersonal characteristics, narcissistic neuroticism largely resembles vulnerable narcissism, and agentic extraversion does not differ much from the traditional conceptualization of extraversion in its interpersonal qualities (e.g., high communion). Future studies may benefit from studying narcissism and how it relates to other psychological constructs using the trifurcated model.

Malignant Self-Regard: Overview and Future Directions

Malignant self-regard (MSR) is a self-representation that encompasses the shared features of depressive personality disorder, masochistic/self-defeating personality disorder, depressive-masochistic personality, and vulnerable narcissism. In this review we begin by describing the construct's historical precursors, which begin in early psychoanalytic/dynamic theory, and then trace its development across iterations of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Special attention is paid to differentiating MSR from vulnerable narcissism. We then consider MSR's place within transdiagnostic, transtheoretical, and dimensional models of personality pathology. We focus heavily on MSR's impact on various personality systems (e.g., thought and affect systems) and also on overall personality functioning. The empirical research on MSR in relation to these systems is thoroughly reviewed and largely supports its psychometric properties and clinical significance. We suggest that MSR may map onto the distress subfactor in the hierarchical taxonomy of psychopathology (HiTOP) and that MSR seems to occupy the shared internalizing space across the neurotic and borderline level of personality organization in Kernberg's model of personality disorders. We also identify four major directions for future research: the possible benefits of self-defeating tendencies that involve pathological narcissism and self-esteem; MSR's relationship to overall health and well-being; depressive states and MSR severity; and how MSR fits within the Alternative Model for Personality Disorders and the personality disorder framework of the International Classification of Diseases.

Daily dynamics of grandiose narcissism: distribution, stability, and trait relations of admiration and rivalry states and state contingencies

On the basis of the Narcissistic Admiration and Rivalry Concept and recent theories on narcissistic pursuit of status, we provide a differentiated analysis of individual differences in the within-person dynamics of grandiose narcissism. In two daily diary studies (Sample 1: 56 days; Sample 2: 82 days; total participants: N = 198; total observations: N = 12,404), we investigated the degree, stability, and trait correlates of individual differences in average narcissism-relevant states (perceived status success, perceived admiration and rejection, positive and negative affect, and assertive and hostile behavior) as well as individual differences in within-person contingencies between these states. The results indicated substantial and stable between-person differences in averaged states that were related to their corresponding narcissism trait self-reports. State contingencies showed substantial strength, significant interindividual differences, and stability across the 56 and 82 days, respectively. We only found weak support for associations between state contingencies and trait narcissism self-reports. These findings support a differentiated approach to the conceptualization and assessment of grandiose state narcissism and call for even more comprehensive and fine-grained investigations.

The influence of narcissistic vulnerability and grandiosity on momentary hostility leading up to and following interpersonal rejection

Wide empirical support exists for 2 aspects of narcissism-grandiosity and vulnerability. Hostility is a form of interpersonal antagonism, which is considered central to narcissism broadly. Though it has often been subsumed by the concept of narcissistic grandiosity, interpersonal antagonism is associated with vulnerability as well. Rejection represents an interpersonal stressor that evokes hostility to a greater degree in those high in narcissism, with mixed evidence regarding whether it stems from threat to one's egotism (grandiosity) or low self-esteem (vulnerability). Therefore, investigating the associations between narcissistic dimensions and individuals' trajectories of hostility leading up to and following rejection may provide a basis for a more unified conceptualization. In this study, we leverage the wide range of narcissistic expression displayed in a combined sample of borderline personality disorder (N = 56) and community (N = 60) individuals who completed ambulatory assessments approximately 6 times per day for 21 consecutive days. We examine whether narcissistic vulnerability and grandiosity, as measured by NEO Personality Inventory facet combinations constructed based on the Five-Factor Narcissism Inventory, moderate trajectories and overall levels of hostility surrounding self-reported interpersonal rejections. Grandiosity and vulnerability were independently positively associated with a faster rise in hostility leading up to rejection; however, greater grandiosity was uniquely associated with a greater spike in hostility at the occasion of rejection and subsequent faster recovery. These results are consistent with both the idea that grandiosity is proportionately more central to interpersonal antagonism and that antagonism serves as a bridge, connecting and reinforcing both narcissistic grandiosity and vulnerability. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Narcissism Today: What We Know and What We Need to Learn

Narcissism is of great interest to behavioral scientists and the lay public. Research across the past 20 years has led to substantial progress in the conceptualization, measurement, and study of narcissism. This article reviews the current state of the field, identifying recent advances and outlining future directions. Advances include hierarchical conceptualizations of narcissism across one-factor (narcissism), two-factor (grandiose vs. vulnerable narcissism), and three-factor (agentic extraversion, antagonism, narcissistic neuroticism) levels; the development of measures to assess the components of narcissism; clarification of the relations between narcissism and self-esteem; an understanding of the behavioral and motivational dynamics underlying narcissistic actions and social outcomes; and insight regarding potential fluctuations between narcissistic states. Future directions point in general to increased research using the lower levels of the narcissism hierarchy, especially the three-factor level. At this level, more research on the etiology, heritability, stability, and centrality of the three components is required.

Can neuroscience help to understand narcissism? A systematic review of an emerging field

Narcissism is a Janusian personality construct, associated with both grandiose self-assuredness and dominance, as well as vulnerable insecurity and reactivity. Central questions of intra- and interpersonal functioning in narcissism are still a matter of debate. Neuroscience could help to understand the paradoxical patterns of experience and behavior beyond the limitations of self-reports. We provide a systematic review of 34 neuroscience studies on grandiose, vulnerable, pathological narcissism, and Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD), spanning experimental investigations of intra- and interpersonal mechanisms, research on neurophysiological and neuroendocrine aspects of baseline function, and brain structural correlates. While neuroscience has scarcely directly studied vulnerable narcissism, grandiose narcissism is associated with heightened vigilance to ego threat and stress responses following ego threat, as well as heightened stress indicators in baseline measures. Such responses are not commonly observed in self-reports, highlighting the potential of neuroscience to augment our understanding of self-regulatory dynamics in narcissism. Interpersonal functioning is characterized by deficits in social-affective processes. Both involve altered activity within the salience network, pointing to a double dissociation regarding the expression of narcissism and self/other oriented situational focus. Findings are summarized in an integrative model providing testable hypotheses for future research along with methodological recommendations.

Predicting fluctuation in narcissistic states: An examination of the g-FLUX scale

Studying dynamic patterns among grandiose and vulnerable narcissistic states has become an important area of inquiry. The g-FLUX (Oltmanns & Widiger, 2018) scale is a 9-item self-report measure designed to capture narcissistic dynamics in the absence of intensive longitudinal designs (e.g., ambulatory assessment, ecological momentary assessment). Though this scale has been associated with dispositional measures of narcissism, it has not yet been validated using ambulatory methods that can directly assess fluctuation in narcissistic states. The present study examined whether the g-FLUX scale predicts variability in state grandiosity and vulnerability across two samples: a community sample (N = 320) that was oversampled for low modesty and an independent undergraduate sample (N = 314). Results revealed that the g-FLUX scale predicts momentary variability in grandiosity and vulnerability. Results were stronger in the community sample. The study suggests that researchers should consider using the g-FLUX scale when interested in capturing dynamics within narcissism, especially when intensive longitudinal designs (e.g., ambulatory assessment methods) are not an option. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).