Experts' Views Regarding the Conceptualization of Narcissism

Grandiose narcissism influences the phenomenology of remembered past and imagined future events

Little empirical work has examined future thinking in narcissistic grandiosity. We here extend prior work finding that people scoring high in grandiosity have self-bolstering tendencies in remembering past events, and we consider whether these tendencies extend to imagining future events. Across an initial study (N = 112) and replication (N = 169), participants wrote about remembered past events and imagined future events in which they embodied or would embody either positive or negative traits. Participants then rated those events on several subjective measures. We find that people scoring higher in grandiosity remember past events in which they embody positive traits with greater detail and ease than past events in which they embody negative traits. These same effects persist when people scoring high in grandiosity imagine possible events in their future. Those scoring higher in grandiosity endorse thinking about positive events in their past and future more frequently than negative events, and they judge positive future events as more plausible than negative future events. These tendencies did not extend to objective detail provided in their written narratives about these events. Taken together, these findings demonstrate that grandiosity is associated with self-bolstering tendencies in both remembering the past and imagining the future.

Narcissistic Personality Disorder Studied the Long Way: Predicting Change in Narcissistic Pathology During College

OBJECTIVE

Otto F. Kernberg pioneered the description, understanding, and treatment of pathological narcissism. Narcissism has emerged as a clinical construct of considerable interest in clinical psychology, psychiatry, and psychoanalysis and has often been featured in the literature on personality and social psychology. Considerable discussion in recent years has focused on whether levels of narcissism seen among young adults have been increasing. Nearly all of that discussion has been focused on changes in successive cohorts in normative (normal-range) expressions of narcissism. No direct prospective longitudinal study of the same individuals has assessed for pathological narcissism during college, the period that has been the specific focus of such lively debate. This study aimed to fill that gap in the literature.

METHODS

This multiwave, longitudinal study explored pathological narcissism during college by enrolling first-year undergraduate students (N=250) from the Longitudinal Study of Personality Disorders and by using individual growth curve (IGC) analysis. Participants were assigned to either a possible personality disorder or no personality disorder group, according to results from the International Personality Disorder Examination.

RESULTS

By the third wave of assessments, 16% of the sample received a probable or definite diagnosis of at least one axis II personality disorder. IGC analysis revealed that pathological narcissism declined across the first 4 years of college. Personality predictors of this pattern of change are also discussed.

CONCLUSIONS

This study highlights the need for a fine-grained prospective study of the same participants over time to illuminate patterns of change in narcissism.

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.

Female Narcissism: Assessment, Aetiology, and Behavioural Manifestations

Despite putative gender differences in the expression of narcissism, prominent theories have virtually dismissed the role of females in the development and manifestation of narcissism. The contention that narcissism is a pathology of the self that may partly differ in males and females is further evident in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). The DSM-5 reports that up to 75% of those diagnosed with Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) are men. Such figures suggest that the representation of narcissism as codified in the DSM-5 may only be marginally applicable to females, given its prominent focus and nature on capturing grandiose themes which closely resemble commonly masculine norms. The overemphasis on grandiose features extends to the empirical literature which defines narcissism as a normative personality trait and is widely assessed using the Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI), on which males obtain significantly higher scores than females. As this review will demonstrate, one limitation frequently occurring in the literature is the attempt to comprehend narcissistic manifestations in females through the lens of what has commonly been defined as narcissism (DSM/NPI). In this review, the literature concerning the diagnostic assessment and conceptualisation of narcissistic personality disorder, aetiological factors, aggression, and partner violence perpetration will be discussed in relation to the importance of gender. This is followed by a review of existing gaps in theory and research, and suggestions for fruitful directions that can aid a richer and more meaningful literature on narcissism inclusive of gender issues.

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.

Relationship between smoking, narcissism, and impulsiveness among young women

Although the connection between smoking and individual differences has been recently recognized, the relationship between narcissistic personality traits and cigarette smoking has received less attention. The notion that personality traits can be associated with addictive behavior is influential in clinical practice. However, questions remain about specific interactions between smoking and personality characteristics that need empirical support to substantiate this hypothesis. This study thus identifies narcissistic and impulsive personality traits as precursors of smoking in a sample of tattooed individuals. In a cross-sectional study (N = 120), personality traits were assessed in young women (aged 18–35 years) using the narcissistic personality inventory and the Barratt Impulsivity Scale (BIS-11). The current study, using the regression analysis, has clearly demonstrated that young women who smoke have different personality characteristics as compared with women who do not smoke.

Moral grandstanding, narcissism, and self-reported responses to the COVID-19 crisis

The present study aimed to understand how status-oriented individual differences such as narcissistic antagonism, narcissistic extraversion, and moral grandstanding motivations may have longitudinally predicted both behavioral and social media responses during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. Via YouGov, a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults was recruited in August of 2019 (N = 2,519; M_age  = 47.5, SD = 17.8; 51.4% women) and resampled in May of 2020, (N = 1,533). Results indicated that baseline levels of narcissistic antagonism were associated with lower levels of social distancing and lower compliance with public health recommended behaviors. Similarly, dominance oriented moral grandstanding motivations predicted greater conflict with others over COVID-19, greater engagement in status-oriented social media behaviors about COVID-19, and lower levels of social distancing.

Mentalizing Mediates the Association between Narcissism and Psychotherapeutic Treatment Outcome in a Mixed Clinical Sample

INTRODUCTION

Pathological narcissism has been a challenge for the success of psychological treatment, whereas mentalizing has turned out to be an important mechanism of change in psychotherapy. This study focused on the classic narcissistic self (CNS) (i.e., narcissistic grandiosity) as predictor of the outcome. It further investigated whether mentalizing mediates this relation.

METHODS

A mixed clinical sample of 205 patients was investigated. The CNS scale of the Narcissism Inventory and the Mentalization Questionnaire was used to measure the features of narcissistic grandiosity and the capacity to mentalize, respectively. The symptom outcome was assessed with the Hamburg Modules for the Assessment of Psychosocial Health.

RESULTS

Contrary to our expectations, we did not find a direct association between narcissistic grandiosity and a decrease in symptoms. However, mentalizing was found to mediate the association between the CNS as well as between the narcissistic furor and outcome.

CONCLUSION

Our results confirm the ambiguity concerning the clinical significance of narcissistic grandiosity. However, in order to improve the treatment outcome in patients with narcissistic features, especially narcissistic furor, individualized treatment plans might consider introducing interventions that enhance the capacity to mentalize.

Lay theories of grandiose and vulnerable narcissism

In public discourse, narcissism is often portrayed one-sidedly and overly negative, rendering a picture of narcissistic individuals as "toxic people" or "evil characters". Beyond these salient associations, psychological theories point to a more complex phenomenon, and different developmental mechanisms are being discussed in relation to it. We investigated the prevalence of different implicit theories on narcissism including beliefs about its developmental antecedents. We put forward the question whether grandiose and vulnerable narcissistic behaviors are regarded as congruent or incongruent expressions of underlying feelings and motives, that is whether grandiose behavior is attributed to underlying grandiosity or underlying vulnerability, and vice versa. Results of an online survey (N = 177) show higher agreement with congruent rather than incongruent theories (i.e., grandiose narcissism is attributed to feelings of superiority rather than inferiority, vulnerable narcissism is attributed to inferiority rather than superiority). In line with this, participants displayed predominant beliefs in parental overvaluation as a developmental antecedent of grandiose narcissism/parental coldness as an antecedent of vulnerable narcissism. With higher self-reported prior knowledge of narcissism, endorsement of theories assuming incongruencies increased. The likability of narcissism was not associated with endorsement of the different implicit theories, but instead with perceivers' own narcissism levels. Results suggest that laypeople employ an "it is what it seems" - heuristic facing both grandiose and vulnerable narcissistic behaviors and are less likely to attribute grandiose or vulnerable behavior to incongruent motivational states. Findings might help to better understand the public image of narcissism and its social consequences.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12144-020-01296-w.

Narcissistic personality traits and prefrontal brain structure

Narcissistic traits have been linked to structural and functional brain networks, including the insular cortex, however, with inconsistent findings. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that subclinical narcissism is associated with variations in regional brain volumes in insular and prefrontal areas. We studied 103 clinically healthy subjects, who were assessed for narcissistic traits using the Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI, 40-item version) and received high-resolution structural magnetic resonance imaging. Voxel-based morphometry was used to analyse MRI scans and multiple regression models were used for statistical analysis, with threshold-free cluster enhancement (TFCE). We found significant (p < 0.05, family-wise error FWE corrected) positive correlations of NPI scores with grey matter in multiple prefrontal cortical areas (including the medial and ventromedial, anterior/rostral dorsolateral prefrontal and orbitofrontal cortices, subgenual and mid-anterior cingulate cortices, insula, and bilateral caudate nuclei). We did not observe reliable links to particular facets of NPI-narcissism. Our findings provide novel evidence for an association of narcissistic traits with variations in prefrontal and insular brain structure, which also overlap with previous functional studies of narcissism-related phenotypes including self-enhancement and social dominance. However, further studies are needed to clarify differential associations to entitlement vs. vulnerable facets of narcissism.

Transference-Focused Psychotherapy for Pathological Narcissism and Narcissistic Personality Disorder (TFP-N)

In this article, we provide an overview of transference-focused psychotherapy for patients with pathological narcissism and narcissistic personality disorder (TFP-N). In TFP-N we have modified and refined the tactics and techniques of TFP, an evidence-based treatment for borderline personality disorder, to meet the specific challenges of working with patients with narcissistic personality pathology whose retreat from reality into an illusory grandiosity makes them particularly difficult to engage in treatment. We first describe a model of narcissistic pathology based on considerations of psychological structure stemming from object relations theory. This model provides a unifying understanding of the core structure of narcissistic pathology, the pathological grandiose self, that underlies the impairments in self and interpersonal functioning of those with narcissistic pathology across the levels of personality organization (from high functioning to borderline to malignant). We then delineate the clinical process of working with patients with pathological narcissism and narcissistic personality disorder. Starting with the assessment process, using a detailed clinical example, we guide the reader through the progression of TFP-N as it helps the patient move from the distorted, unintegrated sense of self underlying the narcissistic presentation to the more integrated, realistic sense of self that characterizes healthier personality functioning. In TFP-N the focus on the disturbed interpersonal patterns of relating in the here and now of the therapeutic interaction is the vehicle to diminish grandiosity and improve relatedness, thereby effecting enduring changes in mental representation and real-world functioning.

Grandiose narcissists and decision making: Impulsive, overconfident, and skeptical of experts-but seldom in doubt

A substantial body of research has documented that grandiose narcissists are characterized by high self-esteem, a sense of personal superiority and entitlement, overconfidence, a willingness to exploit others for self-gain, and hostility and aggression when challenged. We report two studies (N = 452) that explore how these dispositions affect their decision making. We show that grandiose narcissists' overconfidence, impulsivity, and a willingness to ignore expert advice results in a higher likelihood of making a bad decision. In addition, after getting the wrong answer, grandiose narcissists are more likely to blame others and remain self-confident in their judgment.

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Grandiose narcissists are overconfident and often rely on their own intuition to make decisions.

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This can lead them to make less accurate decisions.

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They remain confident in their decisions and externalize blame.

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They also often assume leadership positions in organizations.

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These tendencies can put the organizations they lead at risk.

The relationship between managers' narcissism and overconfidence on corporate risk-taking

Purpose

The primary purpose is to investigate the relationship between narcissism and managers' overconfidence in listed companies' risk-taking.

Design/methodology/approach

In this study, two criteria of signature and reward are used to measure manager's narcissism; manager's overconfidence, using multiple regression models and finally to measure companies' risk-taking by using companies' monthly returns. Multiple regression is employed to test the model using a sample of 890 firm-year participation on the Tehran Stock Exchange from 2012 to 2017 with panel data and model with fixed effects.

Findings

The findings indicate that the CEO's narcissism and the board of directors positively and significantly affect corporate risk-taking. Also, managers' overconfidence has a positive and significant relationship with corporate risk-taking.

Originality/value

The results of this study identified other factors affecting companies' risk-taking. This study also contributed to the development of the literature on narcissism, overconfidence and corporate risk-taking.

Supervisor narcissistic rage: political support as an antidote

Purpose

This research examines how perceived supervisor political support (SPS) moderates the relationship between perceived supervisor narcissistic rage (SNR) and relevant employee work outcomes.

Design/methodology/approach

Across three studies (Study 1: 604 student-recruited working adults; Study 2: 156 practicing lawyers: Study 3: 161 municipality employees), employees provided ratings for SPS, SNR and ratings of their job satisfaction, organizational citizenship behavior (OCB), depressed work mood and work neglect.

Findings

Results supported the authors’ argument that SPS moderates the relationship between SNR and work outcomes. Specifically, SNR was associated with unfavorable outcomes only when SPS was low. When SPS was high, SNR had little effect on job satisfaction, OCBs, depressed mood and neglect.

Research limitations/implications

Results affirm that supervisor characteristics considered toxic do not always provoke adverse reactions when considering other leader features simultaneously.

Practical implications

Supervisors capable of offering political support can positively influence subordinate attitudes, behaviors and well-being even when other aspects of their personality potentially initiate antagonism.

Originality/value

This study is the first to examine SNR features and informal support activities concurrently.

On the uses and abuses of narcissism as a public health issue

Psychiatry understands narcissism as a pathological condition associated with poor social outcomes and difficulty relating to others. Millennials have been depicted by psychological research as 'narcissistic', and the term has lost accurate meaning. We underline the intellectual laxity of conflating social changes with narcissism and suggest ways forward.

The Narcissistic Grandiosity Scale: A Measure to Distinguish Narcissistic Grandiosity From High Self-Esteem

Measures of self-esteem frequently conflate two independent constructs: high self-esteem (a normative positive sense of self) and narcissistic grandiosity (a nonnormative sense of superiority). Confusion stems from the inability of self-report self-esteem scales to adequately distinguish between high self-esteem and narcissistic grandiosity. The Narcissistic Grandiosity Scale (NGS) was developed to clarify this distinction by providing a measure of narcissistic grandiosity. In this research, we refined the NGS and demonstrated that NGS scores exhibit good convergent, discriminant, and concurrent validity relative to scores on theoretically relevant measures. NGS scores, when used as simultaneous predictors with scores on a self-esteem measure, related more strongly to phenomena linked to narcissistic grandiosity (e.g., competitiveness, overestimating one’s attractiveness, lack of shame), whereas self-esteem scores related more strongly to phenomena crucial to individuals’ well-being (e.g., higher levels of optimism and satisfaction with life, and lower levels of depression, worthlessness, and hostility). The NGS provides researchers with a measure to help clarify the distinctions between narcissistic grandiosity and high self-esteem, as well as other facets of narcissism, both in theory and as predictors of important real-life characteristics.

Current conceptualizations of narcissism

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Definitions of narcissism have traditionally differed across psychiatry and subfields of psychology. This review aims to highlight emerging points of consensus and suggest further directions needed to obtain a more comprehensive and cohesive conceptualization of the construct.

RECENT FINDINGS

An emerging consensus is that stable individual differences in the phenotypic expression of narcissism are best captured with a taxonomy that includes the core traits of entitlement, grandiosity, and vulnerability. Recent work has also begun to conceptualize and assess narcissistic states matched with these dimensions. We combine emerging taxonomic knowledge with principles from Whole Trait Theory to propose a multilevel conceptualization of narcissism that focuses on its manifestation at the trait level, state level, and within-situation level.

SUMMARY

Efforts to understand the phenotypic structure of the core traits associated with narcissism have been successful. As the field moves forward, it will become critical for researchers studying narcissism at multiple levels to align and integrate these perspectives so that a more comprehensive and cohesive conceptualization of the construct can be developed.

Unique and shared features of narcissistic and antisocial personality disorders: Implications for assessing and modeling externalizing traits

OBJECTIVES

We aimed to determine which, if any, features distinguish antisocial and narcissistic personality disorders (ASPD and NPD), two overlapping externalizing disorders.

METHODS

A large sample of outpatients (N = 2,149) completed interview measures assessing personality pathology, other psychopathology, and impairment. The structure of antisocial and narcissistic traits was examined using both exploratory bifactor and traditional exploratory factor analytic approaches, and we examined relations for our emergent factors.

RESULTS

Factor analytic results indicated that most narcissistic and antisocial traits were strongly overlapping, although some features emerged as relatively distinct (e.g., arrogance defining NPD). Factors modeling our specific bifactor dimensions showed very weak psychopathology and impairment relations.

CONCLUSIONS

The structure of ASPD and NPD traits does not align neatly with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) Section II conceptualizations, Regardless of the factor analytic approach used. Our findings also indicate that specific dimensions defining these PDs show modest predictive power after accounting for a general externalizing dimension.

Structural Relationships Among the Revised Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory and Grandiose and Vulnerable Narcissism

Research shows that grandiosity and vulnerability are distinct aspects of narcissism. The Contemporary Clinical Model (CCM) of narcissism suggests that individuals fluctuate between grandiose narcissism (GN) and vulnerable narcissism (VN). The authors examine the relative contributions of the Behavioral Approach System (BAS), the Behavioral Inhibition System (BIS), and the Fight-Flight-Freeze System (FFFS) in the Revised Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory of Personality (r-RST) to GN and VN. Few studies examine the r-RST, and even fewer examine the VN and GN distinction. To remain consistent with the CCM, structural equation modeling was used to account for individuals' relative levels of VN and GN. Across two independent samples (Ns = 854 and 258), results indicated that GN is associated with higher BAS scores and that VN is associated with higher BIS scores. Relations among GN, VN, and FFFS were inconsistent between samples. Implications of the r-RST results are interpreted within the context of the CCM.

Interpersonal Dynamics in Personality and Personality Disorders

Clinical and basic personality psychologists interact less than they should, given their similar interests. In clinical personality psychology, available evidence supports a transition from the current categorical system to a hierarchical trait scheme for diagnosing the stable features of personality disorder. However, trait models do not capture the dynamic aspects of personality disorders as they have been described in the clinical literature, and thus miss a clinically critical feature of personality pathology. In contrast, basic personality psychologists have coalesced around a consensual structure of individual differences and become increasingly interested in the dynamic processes that underlie and contextualize traits. But trait psychology models are not sufficiently specific to characterize dynamic personality processes. In this paper, I filter clinical descriptions of personality disorders through the lens of interpersonal theory to specify a recursive within–situation interpersonal pattern of motives, affects, behaviours, and perceptions that could contribute to the stable between–situation patterns of maladaptive behaviour of historical interest to both basic and clinical personality psychologists. I suggest that this interpersonal model adds specificity to recent proposals regarding processes in the basic personality literature and has significant potential to advance research on personality dynamics. © 2018 European Association of Personality Psychology

Using Machine Learning to Advance Personality Assessment and Theory

Machine learning has led to important advances in society. One of the most exciting applications of machine learning in psychological science has been the development of assessment tools that can powerfully predict human behavior and personality traits. Thus far, machine learning approaches to personality assessment have focused on the associations between social media and other digital records with established personality measures. The goal of this article is to expand the potential of machine learning approaches to personality assessment by embedding it in a more comprehensive construct validation framework. We review recent applications of machine learning to personality assessment, place machine learning research in the broader context of fundamental principles of construct validation, and provide recommendations for how to use machine learning to advance our understanding of personality.

Guilt and Proneness to Shame: Unethical Behaviour in Vulnerable and Grandiose Narcissism

Narcissists are described as individuals with dysfunctional personality traits such as lack of psychological awareness and empathy. Theories of ethical behaviour assume that unethical actions trigger moral emotions of guilt and shame. Currently, there is a lack of knowledge on moral emotions as dispositional traits and their potential influences on behaviour in individuals with narcissistic traits. The present study examined vulnerable and grandiose narcissism’s differences in the propensity to experience guilt and shame as a proneness, across a range of personal transgressions. Guilt proneness was measured by negative evaluation of unethical behaviour, and whether this evaluation could influence reparation of tendencies of unethical action in vulnerable and grandiose narcissism. Shame proneness was investigated by negative evaluation of the self, and then whether the previous tendency could affect unethical decision making and behaviour (e.g., hiding), in vulnerable and grandiose narcissism. Two hundred and sixteen participants responded to the Guilt and Shame Proneness Scale, the Narcissistic Personality Inventory Scale and the Hypersensitive Narcissism Scale in an online questionnaire. Findings indicate that grandiose narcissism was negatively associated with guilt proneness, and the relation between the vulnerable narcissism and guilt proneness was negative. Additionally, the results confirm a negative association between grandiose narcissism and shame proneness, especially related to the subscale ‘shame negative self-evaluation’. Furthermore, guilt and shame proneness explained 20% of the variance in vulnerable narcissism and 11% in grandiose narcissism. This research indicates that both vulnerable and grandiose narcissism have the tendency to make unethical decisions, and they are more likely to enact in unethical behaviour. These findings are relevant for the detection of narcissistic individual’s propensity to act unethically in social context.

The effect of pathological narcissism on interpersonal and affective processes in social interactions

Narcissism has significant interpersonal costs, yet little research has examined behavioral and affective patterns characteristic of narcissism in naturalistic settings. Here we studied the effect of narcissistic features on the dynamic processes of interpersonal behavior and affect in daily life. We used interpersonal theory to generate transactional models of social interaction (i.e., linkages among perceptions of others' behavior, affect, and one's own behavior) predicted to be characteristic of narcissism. Psychiatric outpatients (N = 102) completed clinical interviews and a 21-day ecological momentary assessment protocol using smartphones. After social interactions (N = 5,781), participants reported on perceptions of their interaction partner's behavior (scored along the dimensions of dominant-submissive and affiliative-quarrelsome), their own affect, and their own behavior. Multilevel structural equation modeling was used to examine dynamic links among behavior and affect across interactions, and the role of narcissism in moderating these links. Results showed that perceptions of others' dominance did not predict dominant behavior, but did predict quarrelsome behavior, and this link was potentiated by narcissism. Furthermore, the link between others' dominance and one's own quarrelsome behavior was mediated by negative affect. Moderated mediation was also found: Narcissism amplified the link between ratings of others' dominance and one's own quarrelsomeness and negative affect. Narcissism did not moderate the link between other dominance and own dominance, nor the link between other affiliation and own affiliation. These results suggest that narcissism is associated with specific interpersonal and affective processes, such that sensitivity to others' dominance triggers antagonistic behavior in daily life. (PsycINFO Database Record

Belief in narcissistic insecurity: Perceptions of lay raters and their personality and psychopathology relations

This study advances research on interpersonal perceptions of narcissism by examining the degree to which overt displays of narcissism (e.g. being boastful and arrogant) are viewed by lay raters as resulting from covert insecurity. We wrote a brief set of items to assess this view and collected responses from a large sample of community adults (n = 5 528). We present results both for participants reporting (n = 617; patient subsample) and not reporting (n = 4 911; non-patient subsample) current psychiatric treatment. Results revealed that (1) overt grandiose narcissistic traits generally are viewed as being linked to covert insecurity and vulnerability and (2) items intended to assess this link define a meaningful construct, referred to here as Belief in Narcissistic Insecurity. Patient subsample participants also completed measures of personality and psychopathology. Belief in Narcissistic Insecurity showed modest positive relations with self-rated narcissism and with favourable views of one's personality (i.e. seeing oneself as extraverted and conscientious). These findings contribute to research aimed at explicating how perceptions of narcissism are related to self-views and interpersonal functioning. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Grandiose and Vulnerable Narcissism in Borderline Personality Disorder

BACKGROUND

Little is known about narcissistic traits in borderline personality disorder (BPD). This exploratory study aimed to illustrate the associations between total, grandiose, and vulnerable narcissism and gender, diagnostic features of BPD and narcissistic personality disorder (NPD), and psychopathology in BPD patients.

SAMPLING AND METHODS

The Pathological Narcissism Inventory and psychometric measures for impulsivity, anger, borderline symptom severity, personality organization, depression, and rejection sensitivity were completed by 65 BPD patients. Statistical analyses were conducted using the t test, Pearson correlation, and multivariate regression analyses.

RESULTS

Male BPD patients displayed higher narcissistic scores than females (p < 0.01). Grandiose narcissism showed a stronger association with NPD than with BPD (p < 0.01) while vulnerable narcissism was only associated with BPD (p < 0.01). Rejection sensitivity (p < 0.01) and depression (p < 0.001) predicted vulnerable narcissism.

CONCLUSION

Vulnerable narcissism is closely associated with BPD and appears to be more dysfunctional than grandiose narcissism. A comprehensive consideration of both traits is recommended. Our results might help to generate hypotheses for further research on pathological narcissism in the spectrum of personality disorders. Future studies are advised to apply complementary measures and take new diagnostic approaches of DSM-5 and ICD-11 into account.

Assessing Narcissism Using Rorschach-Based Imagery and Behavior Validated by Clinician Reports: Studies With Adult Patients and Nonpatients

We evaluate 11 Rorschach variables with potential for assessing grandiosity and narcissism. Seven of these variables were drawn from previous literature: Omnipotence, Idealization, Reflection, Personal Knowledge Justification, Exhibitionism, Magic, and Elevated Mood States; four were developed for this research: Expanded Personal Reference, Narcissistic Devaluation, Narcissistic Deflation, and Narcissistic Denial. Using Rorschach protocols from American normative adults and Italian adult outpatients, the dimensional structure of these variables was evaluated by principal components analysis, and validity was tested by correlations with clinician ratings of narcissism on two scales from the Shedler-Westen Assessment Procedure-200 that were made after at least five sessions with the primary clinician. A cohesive dimension was found in both data sets defined by Expanded Personal Reference, Personal Knowledge Justification, Omnipotence, and Idealization, and it was meaningfully correlated with the clinician ratings of narcissism ( M r = .41). Implications of the findings include the applicability of these variables in clinical practice and research for assessing narcissistic personality dynamics.