DSM-III-R narcissistic personality disorder evaluated by patients' and informants' self-report questionnaires: Relationships with other personality disorders and a sense of entitlement as an indicator of narcissism

Abstract

Modified versions of the revised Personality Diagnostic Questionnaire (PDQ-R) for DSM-III-R personality disorders (PDs) were completed by 60 patients and their informants. Patients' ratings gave a mean number of 4.5 PDs per subject and narcissistic (NAR) PD in 42%. Informants' ratings gave NAR PD in 38%. For patients and informants, NAR PD scores (i.e., the number of positive NAR PD criteria for each subject) were significantly correlated with histrionic (HIS) and borderline (BOR) PD scores and with scores of some PDs outside DSM-III-R's “cluster B.” Also, there were significant correlations between patients's and informants' NAR PD scores and between NAR PD scores and total number of positive criteria (i.e., for all 13 PDs) for patients and informants. For patients' ratings, there were significant associations between NAR PD and HIS, BOR, and passive-aggressive (PAG) PDs and, for informants' ratings, between NAR and HIS PDs. There was no significant association between patients' and informants' diagnoses of NAR PD. Grandiosity, the most characteristic feature of narcissism, is related to NAR PD criteria 3 through 6. The patients' evaluation of criterion 6 (i.e., “Has a sense of entitlement …”) shows satisfactory item-total correlation and endorsement frequency, together with “fair to good” reliability when patients' and informants' ratings are compared (κ = 0.62). The identification of a sense of entitlement by the patient may be a relatively reliable and valid indicator of narcissism.