Grandiosity Scale Research Articles

Frustrated cyber-abuser: Narcissistic traits in the context of the basic psychological needs and cyber dating abuse

It is important to identify significant psychological predictors of cyber dating abuse because their knowledge may be valuable to researchers, practitioners, and the general public. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of two narcissistic traits, vulnerability and grandiosity, on the perpetration of cyber dating abuse. We examined whether basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness mediate this effect. The study sample consisted of 300 working adults (48.66% men; mean = 39.49 years). Participants completed the Vulnerable Narcissism Scale, the Narcissistic Grandiosity Scale, the Cyber Dating Abuse Questionnaire, and the Basic Psychological Needs Satisfaction and Frustration Scale. Path analysis models indicated that both types of narcissism significantly predicted cyber dating abuse. The need for competence partially mediated the effect of narcissistic grandiosity on cyber dating abuse. Competence frustration partially mediated the effect of narcissistic grandiosity on cyber dating abuse (b = .013; p = .019). Competence satisfaction partially mediated the effect of narcissistic grandiosity on cyber dating abuse (b = .021; p = .017). There was no significant effect of basic psychological needs on the relationship between vulnerable narcissism and cyber dating abuse. Adults with higher levels of narcissistic grandiosity may be protected from cyber dating abuse by the need for competence. Future research could examine the effect of the intervention program (e.g., basic psychological needs affirmation) on cyber dating abuse.

Translating trait to state assessment: The case of grandiose narcissism.

Although interest in within-person variability in grandiose narcissism is growing, measurement tools are lacking that allow studying fluctuations in this personality characteristic in a differentiated manner (i.e., distinguishing narcissistic admiration and rivalry). This study explores whether a measurement approach using the six-item version of the Narcissistic Grandiosity Scale (NGS Rosenthal et al. (2007)) and six additional newly formulated adjectives allows assessing state admiration and rivalry. Structural characteristics and convergent validity of this approach were examined in an experience sampling study in which 114 adults participated, providing state assessments twice a day (total number of observations = 1306). Multilevel bifactor analyses revealed three factors (i.e., one general and two specific factors) at both within- and between-person levels. Further, admiration and rivalry showed a pattern of within-person associations with fluctuations in self-esteem and Big Five states that were consistent with theoretical expectations. Finally, average state admiration and average state rivalry correlated substantively with trait measures of these respective constructs assessed one week prior to the experience sampling design.

Toward Developing Clinical cut-off for the Grandiosity Scale of the Dimensional Clinical Personality Inventory 2

ObjectiveThe present study aims to establish a clinical cut-off for the Grandiosity dimension, using item-level evaluation procedures. MethodsParticipants were 5,387 adults, including outpatients diagnosed with narcissistic personality disorder (NPD), outpatients diagnosed with other personality disorders, and adults from the community. We administered the self-reported Grandiosity scale from the Dimensional Clinical Personality Inventory 2 (IDCP-2). The equating procedure was applied to generate theta scores for participants who did not answer all items. ResultsThe Wright map revealed that outpatients scored high on the latent continuum of the Grandiosity scale. Group comparison showed large effect sizes for the mean difference between patients and non-patients. The ROC curve supports a cut off at a –0.45 score in theta standardisation, which yields a high sensitivity (91%) and moderate specificity (58%). Moreover, the PPP (71%) and NPP (79%) values suggest that the scale is able to identify NPD patients in 71% of cases, and people without NPD in 79% of cases. ConclusionsThe findings suggest the IDCP-2 Grandiosity scale is useful as an NPD screening tool. Possible clinical applications for the scale are described and the limitations of the study are discussed.

The Narcissistic Grandiosity Scale: A meta-analytic examination of item convergent and discriminant validity.

The Narcissistic Grandiosity Scale (NGS; Rosenthal et al., 2020) is a 16-item adjective-rating scale with scores that measure narcissistic grandiosity, a central feature of the grandiose form of narcissism. The NGS was developed both to measure the narcissistic grandiosity construct and to do so in a way that maximally distinguishes narcissistic grandiosity from nongrandiose self-esteem, a construct with which narcissistic grandiosity is often conflated. Over the past few years, different shortened versions of the NGS have been recommended in the literature. To evaluate these shortened versions, we used a meta-analysis to assess how well scores on each NGS item measured narcissistic grandiosity and distinguished it from self-esteem. Using zero-order and partial correlations from 40 data sets, which included information from 14,938 individual participants, we found that all NGS items correlated moderately with grandiose narcissism and largely retained those relations when controlling for self-esteem as well as narcissistic entitlement. The results help inform researchers about the degree to which items recommended for shorter versions of the NGS meet the scale's theoretical goals. We conclude that, when possible, it is advantageous for researchers to continue to use the full 16-item version of the scale. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Supplemental Material for The Narcissistic Grandiosity Scale: A Meta-Analytic Examination of Item Convergent and Discriminant Validity

Supplemental Material for The Narcissistic Grandiosity Scale: A Meta-Analytic Examination of Item Convergent and Discriminant Validity

Impact of Teaching Ministry of the Church on the Spiritual Transformation of Members in Selected Redeemed Gospel Churches in Kangundo District, Machakos County

The purpose of the study was to determine the extent teaching ministry of the church influence the spiritual transformation of members in selected Redeemed Gospel Churches in Kangundo District, Machakos County. The researcher adopted the descriptive survey design. The Redeemed Gospel Church in Kangundo District has a total of about 70 churches with an estimated population of over 10,000 members. The researcher targeted a sample of 30% of the 70 churches in the District. This gave a sample size of 21 churches. Data was collected using questionnaires. The researcher administered the questionnaires to the participants from the selected churches with the help of research assistants who was also trained to translate the instrument to members who may be unable to comprehend what is required of them. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to analyze data. Further, results revealed that majority of the respondents had a low score on items relating to grandiosity scale. This means that most of the respondents are spiritually mature and hence evidence of spiritual transformation. It was revealed that majority of the respondents had a low score on items relating to instability scale. This means that most of the respondents are spiritually mature and hence evidence of spiritual transformation. In addition, results revealed that majority of the respondents had a neutral score on most of the items relating to impression management scale. This implied that most of the respondents are moderately mature spiritually. Lastly, results found that majority of the respondents had a low score on most of the items relating to realistic acceptance scale. This implied that most of the respondents are spiritually mature and hence evidence of spiritual transformation. Based on the findings, the study concluded that teaching ministry of the church influences the spiritual transformation of Redeemed Gospel Church members. Further, the study concluded that mentoring relationship program, teacher role modeled Christlikeness, formal discipleship curriculum and small group fellowship enhances the spiritual transformation of Church members. From the findings, the study recommended the need for the churches to enhance their teaching ministries. This is because the teaching ministries were found to have a significant impact on the members’ spiritual transformation.

Toward Developing Clinical cut-off for the Grandiosity Scale of the Dimensional Clinical Personality Inventory 2

ObjectiveThe present study aims to establish a clinical cut-off for the Grandiosity dimension, using item-level evaluation procedures. MethodsParticipants were 5,387 adults, including outpatients diagnosed with narcissistic personality disorder (NPD), outpatients diagnosed with other personality disorders, and adults from the community. We administered the self-reported Grandiosity scale from the Dimensional Clinical Personality Inventory 2 (IDCP-2). The equating procedure was applied to generate theta scores for participants who did not answer all items. ResultsThe Wright map revealed that outpatients scored high on the latent continuum of the Grandiosity scale. Group comparison showed large effect sizes for the mean difference between patients and non-patients. The ROC curve supports a cut off at a –0.45 score in theta standardisation, which yields a high sensitivity (91%) and moderate specificity (58%). Moreover, the PPP (71%) and NPP (79%) values suggest that the scale is able to identify NPD patients in 71% of cases, and people without NPD in 79% of cases. ConclusionsThe findings suggest the IDCP-2 Grandiosity scale is useful as an NPD screening tool. Possible clinical applications for the scale are described and the limitations of the study are discussed.

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.

A day in the life of Narcissus: Measuring narcissistic grandiosity and vulnerability in daily life.

There is growing interest in understanding the fluctuations in grandiose and vulnerable narcissistic states over time. Momentary data collection is vital in facilitating this new area of inquiry. Two narcissism adjective scales, the Narcissistic Grandiosity Scale and the Narcissistic Vulnerability Scale, have recently been developed for this purpose. In the present study, the validity of these 2 scales was examined across 3 different samples. Results indicate that these measures perform well psychometrically at both the momentary- and trait-level. Multilevel exploratory factor analyses reveal a clear 2-factor structure at both the within- and between-person level. Within-person correlations between these scales and other momentary scales (e.g., the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule) are consistent with theoretical expectations. Finally, individual differences in endorsement of both of these scales correlated with other dispositional measures, including existing narcissism measures (e.g., The Pathological Narcissism Inventory and The Five Factor Narcissism Inventory), at the between-person level in the expected manner. We conclude these scales are well-suited for momentary narcissism assessment in studies wishing to examine fluctuations in grandiosity and vulnerability. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

"Validation of the Narcissistic Grandiosity Scale and creation of reduced item variants": Correction to Crowe et al. (2016).

Reports an error in "Validation of the Narcissistic Grandiosity Scale and creation of reduced item variants" by Michael Crowe, Nathan T. Carter, W. Keith Campbell and Joshua D. Miller (Psychological Assessment, 2016[Dec], Vol 28[12], 1550-1560). In the article, the reliabilities (alphas) for the NPI were reported in the "NPI: Samples 1, 2, and 3" section as follows: NPI LA: α = .73; NPI GE: α = .71; NPI EE: α = .73. These values are incorrect. The correct values are as follows: NPI LA: α = .79; NPI GE: α = .79; NPI EE: α= .54. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2016-03883-001.) The Narcissistic Grandiosity Scale (NGS) is a short adjective-based measure of narcissistic grandiosity (Rosenthal, Hooley, & Steshenko, 2007). The NGS has already shown promise as a measure of grandiose narcissism, but it has never been the subject of a formal validation study. In the current study (N = 870 across 3 samples), the factor structure of NGS was examined and item response theory analyses were used to generate abbreviated versions of the scale. The NGS scales' relations to measures of grandiose and vulnerable narcissism, the five-factor model (FFM), the interpersonal circumplex, self-esteem, and the Personality Inventory of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders-Fifth Edition (DSM-5, PID-5) were assessed. The correlation profile of the NGS was also correlated with expert ratings of prototypical cases of narcissistic personality disorder using both the FFM and PID-5 trait profiles. Overall, the NGS was found to be a unidimensional measure of narcissistic grandiosity with good convergent, discriminant, and criterion validity. The abbreviated versions of the NGS manifested strong reliability and associations entirely consistent with the full version. (PsycINFO Database Record

A Multivariate Analysis of the Pathological Narcissism Inventory's Nomological Network.

The Pathological Narcissism Inventory (PNI) has enjoyed widespread use in the study of the narcissism. However, questions have been raised about whether the PNI's grandiosity scale adequately captures narcissistic grandiosity as well as other popular measures do. Specifically, some have noted that PNI grandiosity shows a pattern of external associations that diverges from patterns for narcissistic grandiosity predicted by experts, and is more similar to the predictions for the vulnerability scale than is desirable. Previous research driving these critiques has relied on patterns of zero-order correlations to examine the nomological networks of these scales. The present study reexamines the nomological networks of PNI grandiosity and vulnerability scales using hierarchical regression. Results indicate that once accounting for overlapping variance of vulnerability and grandiosity, the unique variance in the PNI's grandiosity scale closely matches contemporary expert conceptualizations of narcissistic grandiosity based on expected associations with other personality variables.

Measurement of narcissism: From classical applications to modern approaches

Different conceptions of narcissism exist within the literature such as grandiose, vulnerable, pathological, collective, and communal, each of which can be measured using self-report measures. Within the current paper, we review and discuss most of the existing measures of these different trait (i.e., non-clinical) narcissism constructs. This includes an examination of their underlying theoretical foundations and an evaluation of the scale construction process. We start our review from the one-dimensional measures of grandiose and vulnerable narcissism such as the Narcissistic Personality Inventory, the Hypersensitive Narcissism Scale, the Dark Triad Dirty Dozen, the Short Dark Triad, the Narcissistic Grandiosity Scale, the Narcissistic Vulnerability Scale, and the Single Item Narcissism Scale. Then, we introduce the multidimensional measures to study narcissism such as the Narcissistic Admiration and Rivalry Questionnaire, the Five Factor Narcissism Inventory, and the Pathological Narcissism Inventory. The r view concludes by presenting measures of understudied narcissistic constructs such as the Communal Narcissism Inventory and the Collective Narcissism Scale. In general, using one-dimensional scales might provide important insights into the general underpinnings of narcissistic personality, however assessment via multi-dimensional tools better reflects its complex nature.

Homogenous scales of narcissism: Using the psychological entitlement scale, interpersonal exploitativeness scale, and narcissistic grandiosity scale to study narcissism

We examined the extent to which the Psychological Entitlement Scale (PES), the Interpersonal Exploitativeness Scale (IES), and the Narcissistic Grandiosity Scale (NGS), when taken together, assess a broader construct or three distinct facets. In Study 1, a principal components analysis was conducted, demonstrating that the PES, IES, and NGS should be considered three separate traits rather than one overall construct. In Study 2, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) revealed that the most efficient and best fitting model contained 8 items of the PES (dropping a reverse-scored item), the 6-item IES, and a revised 6-item model of the NGS. Study 3 replicated the CFA and examined the correlates of the PES, IES, and NGS with measures of narcissism and related measures such as empathic concern and self-esteem. Implications for future assessment of narcissism traits are discussed.

Validation of the Narcissistic Grandiosity Scale and creation of reduced item variants.

The Narcissistic Grandiosity Scale (NGS) is a short adjective-based measure of narcissistic grandiosity (Rosenthal, Hooley, & Steshenko, 2007). The NGS has already shown promise as a measure of grandiose narcissism, but it has never been the subject of a formal validation study. In the current study (N = 870 across 3 samples), the factor structure of NGS was examined and item response theory analyses were used to generate abbreviated versions of the scale. The NGS scales' relations to measures of grandiose and vulnerable narcissism, the five-factor model (FFM), the interpersonal circumplex, self-esteem, and the Personality Inventory of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders-Fifth Edition (DSM-5, PID-5) were assessed. The correlation profile of the NGS was also correlated with expert ratings of prototypical cases of narcissistic personality disorder using both the FFM and PID-5 trait profiles. Overall, the NGS was found to be a unidimensional measure of narcissistic grandiosity with good convergent, discriminant, and criterion validity. The abbreviated versions of the NGS manifested strong reliability and associations entirely consistent with the full version. (PsycINFO Database Record

The structure of pathological narcissism and its relationships with adult attachment styles: A study of Italian nonclinical and clinical adult participants.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the structure of pathological narcissism and its relationships with adult attachment styles in 394 Italian nonclinical volunteers and in 103 consecutively admitted Italian outpatients. All participants were administered the Pathological Narcissism Inventory (PNI) and the Attachment Style Questionnaire (ASQ). Confirmatory factor analyses replicated the 2-factor model of the PNI found in English-speaking samples in both nonclinical and clinical samples. Structural equation models showed that adult attachment insecurities were characteristically associated with the PNI Narcissistic Vulnerability scale, whereas the PNI Narcissistic Grandiosity scale was positively associated with the ASQ Confidence scale in both samples. Overall, our findings support the hypothesis that pathological narcissists are both vulnerable and grandiose and suggest that assessing adult attachment may be important in understanding pathological narcissism in adults. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved)

A Behavioral Genetic Study of Intrapersonal and Interpersonal Dimensions of Narcissism

Narcissism, characterized by grandiose self-image and entitled feelings to others, has been increasingly prevalent in the past decades. This study examined genetic and environmental bases of two dimensions of narcissism: intrapersonal grandiosity and interpersonal entitlement. A total of 304 pairs of twins from Beijing, China completed the Narcissistic Grandiosity Scale and the Psychological Entitlement Scale. Both grandiosity (23%) and entitlement (35%) were found to be moderately heritable, while simultaneously showing considerable non-shared environmental influences. Moreover, the genetic and environmental influences on the two dimensions were mostly unique (92–93%), with few genetic and environmental effects in common (7–8%). The two dimensions of narcissism, intrapersonal grandiosity and interpersonal entitlement, are heritable and largely independent of each other in terms of their genetic and environmental sources. These findings extend our understanding of the heritability of narcissism on the one hand. On the other hand, the study demonstrates the rationale for distinguishing between intrapersonal and interpersonal dimensions of narcissism, and possibly personality in general as well.

French version validation of the psychotic symptom rating scales (PSYRATS) for outpatients with persistent psychotic symptoms.

BackgroundMost scales that assess the presence and severity of psychotic symptoms often measure a broad range of experiences and behaviours, something that restricts the detailed measurement of specific symptoms such as delusions or hallucinations. The Psychotic Symptom Rating Scales (PSYRATS) is a clinical assessment tool that focuses on the detailed measurement of these core symptoms. The goal of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the French version of the PSYRATS.MethodsA sample of 103 outpatients suffering from schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorders and presenting persistent psychotic symptoms over the previous three months was assessed using the PSYRATS. Seventy-five sample participants were also assessed with the Positive And Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS).ResultsICCs were superior to .90 for all items of the PSYRATS. Factor analysis replicated the factorial structure of the original version of the delusions scale. Similar to previous replications, the factor structure of the hallucinations scale was partially replicated. Convergent validity indicated that some specific PSYRATS items do not correlate with the PANSS delusions or hallucinations. The distress items of the PSYRATS are negatively correlated with the grandiosity scale of the PANSS.ConclusionsThe results of this study are limited by the relatively small sample size as well as the selection of participants with persistent symptoms. The French version of the PSYRATS partially replicates previously published results. Differences in factor structure of the hallucinations scale might be explained by greater variability of its elements. The future development of the scale should take into account the presence of grandiosity in order to better capture details of the psychotic experience.