Narcissism and mate value: Is beauty in the eye of the narcissistic beholder?

Abstract

Narcissism is characterized by highly positive self-views. The purpose of the present study was to examine the connection between narcissism and self-perceived mate value. More specifically, we were interested in the possibility that the associations that narcissistic admiration and narcissistic rivalry had with self-perceived mate value may be mediated by the perceived mate value of one's current romantic partner. That is, we believed that narcissistic individuals may perceive their romantic partner in a manner that serves their own self-views. The results showed that perceived partner mate value mediated the positive association that narcissistic admiration had with self-perceived mate value as well as the negative association that narcissistic rivalry had with self-perceived mate value. Discussion focuses on the implications of these results for understanding how narcissistic individuals view their romantic partners and themselves.