Narcissism Inventory Research Articles

Vulnerable narcissism as beneficial factor for the therapeutic alliance in borderline personality disorder.

Evidence suggests that narcissism and borderline personality disorder are associated with each other. This naturalistic study investigated the predictive value of grandiose and vulnerable narcissism on the development of the therapeutic alliance in short-term psychodynamic treatment across 12 weeks. The sample consisted of 99 patients with borderline personality disorder. Narcissism was assessed with the Pathological Narcissism Inventory at treatment onset. The therapeutic alliance was rated with the Scale to Assess Therapeutic Relationships by both patient and therapist at four time points during treatment. Results showed a significant predictive value of vulnerable narcissism on the therapeutic alliance, revealing a more beneficial progression for patients with higher vulnerable narcissism. Grandiose narcissism had no predictive value on the therapeutic alliance. The study strengthens the clinical utility of the concept of vulnerable narcissism towards the evaluation of treatment processes in borderline personality disorder.

The narcissism network and centrality of narcissism features

The aim of this research was to explore the underlying structural organization and centrality of narcissism features by using network analysis. The research was conducted on a sample from the general population using subscales of four narcissism instruments (Narcissism Personality Inventory, Grandiose Narcissism Scale, Pathological Narcissism Inventory, Five-Factor Narcissism Inventory Short Form). The results revealed detection of four communities, one of which was interpreted as vulnerable narcissism, while the remaining three were interpreted as aspects of grandiose narcissism (grandiose exhibitionism, narcissistic antagonism, and authority). The results suggested that although features of grandiose narcissism (grandiose exhibitionism and leadership/authority) show consistent higher strength centrality across networks, entitlement/exploitativeness, followed by grandiose fantasy, has a central role in bringing together maladaptive grandiose and vulnerable aspects of narcissism. In addition, leadership/authority brings together various aspects of grandiose narcissism. The results support the role of entitlement features as the core of narcissism.

Functional altruism among agreeable and narcissistic donors

Given the increasing popularity of crowdsourced fundraisers, understanding how characteristics of funding initiatives and donors influence donations has critical real-world implications. Across two studies, we identified potential situational factors most conducive to successful crowdsourcing while also determining whether individual differences in various personality factors predicted differing levels of donation. Participants in Study 1 (MAge = 19.99; 309 women, 75 men) viewed descriptions that manipulated donation type (organizer donation, anonymous donation, no donation) and type of fundraiser (self-organized, other-organized), and reported their willingness to donate to an individual’s medical treatment and completed inventories assessing Big Five personality traits. In Study 2 participants (MAge = 20.22; 322 women, 102 men) viewed vignettes describing fundraisers for an individual’s vacation fun and completed inventories assessing participantslevels of narcissism using the Pathological Narcissism Inventory. Higher agreeableness in men predicted heightened donation interest, regardless of type of cause, particularly when someone else has already donated (Study 1). Unexpectedly, narcissistic men and women both reported heightened donation interest (Study 2). We frame these findings through a framework assessing the adaptive utility of altruism as a function of personality in modern donation contexts.

Reliability and validity of the Japanese version of the Pathological Narcissism Inventory

Reliability and validity of the Japanese version of the Pathological Narcissism Inventory

Pathological Narcissism, Negative Parenting Styles and Interpersonal Forgiveness among Psychiatric Outpatients.

Pathological narcissism has previously been investigated with regard to negative parenting and interpersonal forgiveness, but inconsistent findings have been obtained in relation to its two phenotypic forms - grandiosity and vulnerability. Moreover, the role of negative parenting in the lack of forgiveness within narcissistic pathology has not been explored thus far. The aim of the current research was to investigate the complex relations among pathological narcissism, negative parenting, and interpersonal forgiveness in psychiatric outpatients. A sample of 250 adult psychiatric outpatients (61% female; mean age 39.15 years) were enrolled in this study. The participants filled out the Pathological Narcissism Inventory (PNI), the Tendency to Forgive Scale (TTF), the Measure of Parental Styles (MOPS), and the Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scales (DASS21). Narcissistic grandiosity and narcissistic vulnerability were positively correlated with mothers' and fathers' negative parenting, but this association was significantly stronger in the case of narcissistic vulnerability. Only narcissistic vulnerability was related to interpersonal forgiveness. In the mediation analysis, negative parenting was not directly related to interpersonal forgiveness, however, this association became significant after introducing narcissistic vulnerability. Narcissistic vulnerability served as a full mediator of the mothers' and fathers' negative parenting - interpersonal forgiveness relationships. Narcissistic vulnerability seems to be more strongly related to negative parenting and interpersonal forgiveness than narcissistic grandiosity, while it also represents one of the underlying mechanisms of the negative parenting - interpersonal forgiveness relationship. The clinical implications of these findings are discussed in relation to pathological narcissism and lack of forgiveness.

Peer Perceptions of Communal Narcissism and Communalism in At-Risk Adolescents

Abstract. The present study extended research on the relation of communal narcissism in adolescents with self- and peer-reported personality and behavior. Although communal narcissism may be associated with negative peer perceptions, a communal orientation that does not also convey superiority (i.e., communalism) may be viewed more favorably. Self- and peer-perceptions were investigated as a function of communal narcissism and a non-narcissistic communal orientation (i.e., by altering the Communal Narcissism Inventory to reflect more humble self-views). Participants were 246 adolescents, ages 16–19 years, who were attending a quasi-military residential program for youth who have dropped out, or were at-risk of dropping out, of school. Communal narcissism and communalism were significantly interrelated. Communal narcissism was negatively associated with unique variance in self-reported empathy, whereas communalism was positively associated with self-reported empathy and more strongly related to peer-reported prosociality. The role of superiority in communal domains in adolescent self-perception and peer relationships is discussed.

Supplemental Material for Investigating the Structure of the Polish Five Factor Narcissism Inventory: Support for the Three-Factor Model of Narcissism

Supplemental Material for Investigating the Structure of the Polish Five Factor Narcissism Inventory: Support for the Three-Factor Model of Narcissism

Description of the basic psychometric characteristics and the factor structure of the Greek version of the Pathological Narcissism Inventory

The aim of this study was to examine the basic psychometric properties of the Greek version of the Pathological Narcissism Inventory (PNI; Pincus, Ansell, Pimentel, Cain, Wright & Levy, 2009). The PNI is a self-report scale recently developed to measure both narcissistic grandiosity (Exploitativeness, Grandiose Fantasy, Self-sacrificing Selfenhancement)and narcissistic vulnerability (Contingent Self-esteem, Hiding the Self, Devaluing, Entitlement rage). The English version of the PNI was translated to Greek and administered to 283 University students.Confirmatory factor analysis was used to investigate its factor structure in the Greek sample. Several models were evaluated: a. the initial seven-factor first-order model, b. three second-order models with two secondorder latent factors (Grandiosity, Vulnerability), c. three second-order models with three higher order latent factors (Grandiosity, Vulnerability, Malignancy). Goodness-of-fit indices showed better fit for the seven-factor structure, however, acceptable fit was also achieved for most of the second-order models as well. Reliability coefficients were within the acceptable standards for all subscales. The models are evaluated theoretically and the advantages of assessing narcissism in Greece with the PNI are discussed.

Modelling Pathological Narcissism Using the Brief PNI in Terms of Structure and Convergent and Divergent Validity: A New Perspective.

The Pathological Narcissism Inventory (PNI) is a popular measure and the first to attempt to tap into both grandiose and vulnerable narcissism (GN/VN). However, data have raised questions as to whether it appropriately formulates GN and differentiates it from VN. In this study, we examined the Brief-PNI's structure and construct validity, by using a novel model based on the theoretical notion of GN and VN sharing core features. Participants (N = 1,061) completed the Brief-PNI, and psychological distress and social avoidance questionnaires. Results showed a better fit and differentiation of GN and VN for a model with cross-loading of shared first-order factors on GN and VN, compared with the traditional PNI structure. We concluded that the Brief-PNI can offer an appropriate formulation and differentiation of VN and GN, provided that their shared variance is considered.

Selfie-engagement on social media: Pathological narcissism, positive expectation, and body objectification – Which is more influential?

The current use of social media platforms by active young users/creators of visual content provides an easy medium to achieve narcissistic goals of self-promotion and attention-seeking, and to socialize with self-objectification experiences. One of the most popular activities associated with social media use is selfie-sharing. Consequently, the global focus on online physical appearance approval could reinforce selfie-engagement as a specific body image-related behavior, potentially associated with selfie-marketing strategies for self-improvement, and problematic social media use. The present study evaluated the main direct effect of pathological narcissism, objectified body consciousness, and expectations toward selfies on young women’s and men’s selfie-engagement. A total of 570 young adults (66.8% females; mean age = 24.4 years, SD = 3.6) participated in an online survey study. Variables were assessed using the Pathological Narcissism Inventory (Fossati, Feeney, Pincus, Borroni, & Maffei, 2015), Objectified Body Consciousness Scale (Dakanalis et al., 2015), Selfie-expectancies Scale (Boursier & Manna, 2018), and a measure of selfie-engagement. Hierarchical regression analyses were performed on independent male and female subsamples. Results showed that body surveillance and positive selfie-expectancies are consistent selfie-behavior predictors, among both men (R2 = 0.227; p < .001) and women (R2 = 0.332; p < .001). Furthermore, findings confirm women’s involvement in appearance concerns and body-image related practices, even though men’s engagement in body-objectification deserve attention. The study provides novel findings in the field of self-objectification research as well as contributing to the ongoing debate concerning which psychological factors can be predictive of males’ and females’ selfie-engagement. The implications of these findings are also discussed in light of the debate on social media use and misuse.

Relationships between pathological narcissism and maladaptive personality traits among older adults

Objectives: The Pathological Narcissism Inventory (PNI) is a measure of narcissism, with two domains of Vulnerability and Grandiosity, that has limited evidence of validity among older adults. Subsequently, the objective of the present study was to examine relationships between the PNI and measures of diverse pathological personality features.Method: Participants consisted of 125 community-dwelling older adults (M age = 71.8 years) who completed the PNI, the Personality Inventory for DSM-5 (PID-5), and the Coolidge Axis II Inventory (CATI).Results: Total Narcissism, Vulnerability, and Grandiosity were significantly correlated with every PD scale, with the exception of Grandiosity with Schizotypal PD. Regression analyses revealed that Narcissistic and Avoidant PDs had the strongest relationships with the PNI. Total Narcissism was also significantly correlated with all five PID-5 domains, with regression indicating Negative Affect and Antagonism as the strongest predictors.Conclusions: Findings generally support the convergent validity of the PNI for use among older adults and suggest that pathological narcissism may be related to general personality pathology in later life.

The assessment of the relationship between narcissism, perceived parental rearing styles, and defense mechanisms

Objective: The aim of the study was to determine the relationships between grandiose and vulnerable narcissism, perceived parental rearing styles and defense mechanisms. Besides, it was investigated how grandiose narcissism and vulnerable narcissism scores differ in terms of demographic variables such as gender and age. Method: The study was carried out with 508 participants between the ages of 18-65 determined by the appropriate sampling method. 271 of the participants were female (53.3%), 237 of them were male (46.7%). The data were collected through a battery including Demographic Information Form, Pathological Narcissism Inventory, Narcissistic Personality Inventory-16, Abbreviated Perceived Parental Attitudes Scale-Child Form, Defense Style Questionnaire-40, and Splitting Scale. Results: Statistical analyses revealed that while there was no significant difference in vulnerable narcissism scores between male and female participants, male participants had significantly higher scores in grandiose narcissism. The findings indicate a decrease in both vulnerable and grandiose narcissism as the age of the participants increase. The regression analyses showed that grandiose narcissism scores were predicted by the paternal rejection and the maternal emotional warmth as perceived parental attitudes, and by the immature defense style, splitting defense mechanism, and neurotic defense style as defense styles; vulnerable narcissism scores were predicted by the paternal rejection, maternal overprotection, splitting defense, and all forms of defense. Conclusion: Findings that narcissistic personality may be correlated with some inadequate parental attitudes and more frequent use of defense mechanisms were discussed within the framework of this topic. In addition, the results were elaborated regarding the theoretical framework of narcissism, and how it can be used in clinical practice with narcissistic individuals.

The intricate role of dissociation in the relations between childhood maltreatment, self-objectification, and narcissism.

Abusive acts often involve the use of victims as objects for venting the perpetrators' impulses and urges; they may therefore be conceptualized as objectifying experiences and may lead to self-objectification. This sense of self-objectification may lead to the development of narcissism-either grandiose narcissism or vulnerable narcissism, with the potential interruption of dissociation, which is often observed among survivors of childhood abuse in this dynamic. Accordingly, the current study examined a model in which the associations between childhood maltreatment and narcissism were mediated by self-objectification and moderated by dissociation. A battery of self-report questionnaires including the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, Self-Objectification Scale, Brief-Pathological Narcissism Inventory, and Dissociative Experiences Scale were filled out by 766 college-university students. Both grandiose and vulnerable narcissism were related to childhood maltreatment through the mediating role of self-objectification. Moreover, the analyses yielded significant interactions of self-objectification and dissociation in predicting both vulnerable narcissism and grandiose narcissism; that is, the associations between self-objectification and both types of narcissism were stronger among individuals with low levels of dissociation than among those with high levels of dissociation. These findings highlight the complex and ambiguous role of dissociation in the structure of the survivors' self and emphasize the importance of promoting their sense of subjectivity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

The Pathological Narcissism Inventory: Measurement Invariance Across Serbian and USA Samples and Further Validation

Abstract. The aim of this research was to explore measurement invariance across samples from Serbia and the USA (Study 1) and to further validate the Serbian adaptation of the Pathological Narcissism Inventory – PNI (Study 2). The results supported the original seven-factor first-order structure as well as the hierarchical structure of the PNI with Narcissistic grandiosity and vulnerability as the second-order factors. Further, scalar invariance between the two versions of the PNI was achieved. Relations between Narcissistic grandiosity and vulnerability and other measures of grandiose and hypersensitive narcissism supported the validity of their scores. Among HEXACO traits, both Narcissistic grandiosity and vulnerability showed substantial negative correlations with Honesty-Humility. The main distinctions between the two aspects of narcissism lie in the positive relations with Neuroticism and negative relations with self-esteem, both of which are higher for Narcissistic vulnerability. The results support good psychometric properties of the PNI scores and add to the PNI’s cross-cultural validity.

Types of narcissistic self-regulation in the context of personal fulfillment

Aim. The aim of the research is to generalize different types of "healthy" narcissistic Self-regulation and to disclose the specific of self-fulfillment and personal life satisfaction.&#x0D; Method. The empirical study involved 360 Ukrainian students (N=360), aged from 17 to 24. The following research methods were used F. W. Deneke and B. Hilgenstock’s Narcissism Inventory (1989), A. Längle and C. Orgler’s Scale of Existence (2003), E. Diener’s Satisfaction with Life Scale (1985), D. Polhus and C. Williams’s "Dark Triad of Personality" questionnaire (2002). The obtained data were processed by multivariate statistics (Statistica 8.0 and Exel), using cluster and comparative analysis (Student's t-test, Scheffe Test).&#x0D; Results. The analysis shows that the most effectively functioning narcissistic self-regulation type is characterized by high narcissism that goes together with the high self-power. The personal fulfillment indicators (such as: self-distance, self-transcendence, freedom, responsibility, existentialism, and personality) are also growing in such conditions. Adequate narcissistic self-regulation goes together with the more meaningful relations with reality and enrichment of the person’s internal emotional life. With the growth of narcissism raises rather positive life acceptance and affirmative attitudes towards “Being” and oneself in it.&#x0D; Conclusions. Narcissistic self-regulation is a mechanism that cares about the stability and integrity of the self-system, makes it possible to accept and appreciate one’s own personality. Only through the prism of prizing oneself (high, but functional narcissism) the value of other people and the world could be seen. This opens the possibility to find and fulfill the meaning of existence.

Measurement Invariance of Three Versions of the Pathological Narcissism Inventory across Gender-Matched Italian Adolescent High School and Young Adult University Students

To assess the measurement invariance of the three versions of the Pathological Narcissism Inventory (PNI) across adolescent and young adult participants, 678 Italian adolescent high school students (M = 16.83 years old, SD = 1.85 years) and 678 adult university students (M = 23.99 years old, SD = 2.60 years) matched on gender, civil status, and geographic area, were administered the Italian translation of the original 52-item PNI. The PNI, the Brief-Pathological Narcissism Inventory (B-PNI), and Super Brief-Pathological Narcissism Inventory (SB-PNI) scales all showed adequate reliabilities in both adolescent and young adult samples. In both samples, robust maximum likelihood confirmatory factor analysis indicated that covariation among the PNI/B-PNI first-order scales, as well as among the SB-PNI items, could be adequately explained by two-correlated factors operationalizing narcissistic grandiosity (NG) and narcissistic vulnerability (NV), respectively. Multiple-group confirmatory factor analyses supported scalar invariance for both B-PNI and SB-PNI NG and NV factors, and metric invariance for the PNI NG and NV factors.

The Norwegian version of the five factor narcissism inventory for vulnerable narcissism and the grandiose narcissism subscale of indifference: Psychometric properties of the long- and short-form versions.

In recent years, narcissism has been reconceptualized as a multi-dimensional feature of human psychology. The Five Factor Narcissism Inventory (FFNI) has been proposed as a measure for two distinguishable dimensions of narcissism: Vulnerable and Grandiose (Glover, Miller, Lynam, Crego & Widiger, 2012). To investigate the role that some of these factors may have in moderating responses to cues of social exclusion, implemented in a connected laboratory experiment, we translated the subscales for Vulnerable Narcissism and the Grandiose Narcissism subscale of Indifference from English into Norwegian and included them in an online survey that was used to recruit and pre-screen participants for the laboratory experiment. In this paper, we test the psychometric properties of these translated self-report measures, in what amounted to be a diverse sample of the Norwegian population. We perform reliability tests and confirmatory factor analysis on the long- and short-form versions of FFNI Vulnerable Narcissism and the Grandiose Narcissism subscale of Indifference. We further test the criterion validity of these measures by way of correlational analyses with other theoretically relevant measures. We conclude that the Norwegian short-form versions of FFNI Vulnerable Narcissism and Grandiose Narcissism subscale of Indifference exhibit good psychometric properties in our data and propose that the translated scales can now be used to explore these constructs in clinical and non-clinical populations in Norway, and can be easily adapted for use in other Scandinavian countries.

Vulnerable Narcissists in Leadership? A Bifactor Model of Narcissism and Abusive Supervision Intent

Addressing the controversial debate about narcissism and its impact on organizations, this article pursues three main purposes: First, we aimed to assess the factorial structure of the Pathological Narcissism Inventory (PNI) in an applied organizational context. In the overall sample of 926 German-speaking managers (Studies 1-3), we found a bifactor model differentiating a general narcissism factor from narcissistic grandiosity and vulnerability to be advantageous over a traditional second-order factor model. Second, we sought to establish the relationships between narcissism and leaders’ drive to aggress against followers (i.e., abusive supervision intent). Above and beyond the general narcissism factor, narcissistic vulnerability consistently predicted leaders’ abusive supervision intent, while narcissistic grandiosity did not. This result also held with an additional measure of grandiose narcissism, the Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI) in Study 2. Third, we intended to provide initial insights into the underlying mechanisms linking leaders’ narcissistic vulnerability to their abusive supervision intent. An experimental design in Study 3 identified one reason why narcissistic vulnerability drives leaders to aggress against their followers: they were prone to respond to failure with internal attributions and shame. In sum, this research is the first to point out leaders’ narcissistic vulnerability as a risk-factor for organizations. It advances the current understanding of its conceptual nature and practical implications.

Aggression Among Offenders: The Complex Interplay by Grandiose Narcissism, Spitefulness, and Impulsivity

Impulsivity seems closely related to both narcissism and spitefulness as a potential common pathway by which these pathological personality traits lead to violence. We administered the Aggression Questionnaire (AQ), the Pathological Narcissism Inventory, the Spitefulness Scale, and the Impulsive Behavior Scale Short Form to a sample of individuals convicted of violent offenses ( n = 182) and a sample of community participants ( n = 203). Hierarchical regression analysis of the convicted sample showed that spitefulness predicted AQ scores positively and significantly beyond the roles of both pathological narcissism and impulsivity. Finally, mediation analyses showed that impulsivity partially mediated the relationships between aggression and both grandiose narcissism and spitefulness. Our results support the hypothesis that spitefulness plays an important role in the prediction of aggressiveness. Finally, impulsivity seems to be a central common variable that explains the relationship between pathological personality traits and aggressive behavior among individuals convicted of violent offenses.

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).