Examining the structure of narcissism and its relationship with aggression in Chinese community and offender samples

Abstract

Objective: Associations between dimensions of narcissism and aggression have been well-documented in Western samples. We aimed to generalize findings regarding the validity of one-, two- (Grandiose Narcissism, GN, and Vulnerable Narcissism, VN), and three-factor models (Agentic Narcissism, Agent; Neurotic Narcissism, Neuro; Antagonistic Narcissism, Antag) of narcissism and associations with aggression to Chinese offender and nonoffender samples. Methods: Our preregistered study used exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and a novel methodological approach, relative weights analysis (RWA) in an offender ( N = 485) and a community ( N = 578) sample from China to examine the generalizability of narcissism dimensions, and within-study meta-analysis using 9 samples ( N = 3520, and 282 effect sizes) to examine links between narcissism dimensions and aggression. Results: The two-factor model replicated well across samples and three-factor model replicated moderately, with differences emerging for the structure of Antag in offenders. Narcissism was positively correlated with aggression, although associations varied across narcissism dimensions and types of aggression. Conclusion: The dimensional models of narcissism and associations with aggression generalized fairly well from Western to Chinese offender and nonoffender populations, although some potential differences worthy of consideration in future research and practice were observed.