In this series we publish blog posts written by our first year undergraduate students for the PB101 Foundations of Psychological Science course. In this post, Lisa Barchetti explores the interplay of the dark triad personality traits and self-awareness.

We use the word ‘narcissist’ quite a lot, whether it is to describe our overbearing boss, a cheating ex, or someone else who has wronged us. However, it’s not always this simple: there is a difference between having some narcissistic traits – all of us do – and being a narcissist (Wilding, 2018). Narcissism is a spectrum that we all lie on somewhere. Technically speaking, a narcissist is someone who scores excessively high on said spectrum. At the highest end of the spectrum are individuals who can be diagnosed with the mental illness of narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) (Peterson, 2016).

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NPD = narcissism?

NPD is a mental health condition that significantly impairs a person’s functioning in various areas of life, such as relationships, work, and overall well-being. According to the DSM-5, an individual must exhibit a continuous pattern of grandiosity, a need for admiration, and a lack of empathy, among other specific criteria, to be diagnosed (Ciccarelli & Noland, 2013) (Koch, 2021). The constant need to maintain a view of oneself as exceptional is based on an actually fragile sense of self. This narcissistic behaviour can provide a stable self-experience but only at the cost of retreating from or denying realities that do not support the grandiosity that narcissists display (Baumeister et al., 2000).

There has been much criticism around the definition of NPD in the DSM-5 and many now view narcissism as a dimensional trait. Subclinical measures such as the 40-item Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI) are often used. This is a self-report inventory designed to measure narcissistic traits on a spectrum (del Rosario & White, 2005).

Miller and colleagues highlight that there are two dimensions to narcissism: grandiose and vulnerable narcissism (Miller et al., 2017). They share common features, such as self-centeredness, sense of entitlement, and disregard of others (Zajenkowski & Szymaniak, 2019). However, grandiose narcissists have an inflated positive self-image, a tendency toward exploitativeness, and the need to be admired by others (Pincus et al. 2009). Vulnerable narcissism, on the other hand, is characterised by defensiveness, hypersensitivity, low self-esteem, and hostility.

However, NOT EVERYONE WITH NARCISSISTIC TRAITS HAS NPD! Instead of equating narcissism and NPD, many recent studies have been focusing on the definition of narcissism as extreme self-involvement to the degree that the individual ignores the needs and feelings of those surrounding them (Brennan, 2020).

Feel like this has been you in the past?

Before you worry about being a narcissist and hurry to take the NPI yourself, let me stop you right here and tell you: Narcissists know that they are narcissists!

SIDE NOTE: If you do want to take the NPI test, click here.

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How do narcissists see themselves?

Narcissists see themselves very positively and want to maintain this positive self-perception. Carlson and colleagues have carried out several studies to gain insights into how narcissists view their personality and reputation (Carlson et al., 2011). The researchers found that narcissists seem to understand that others do not see them as positively as they do. In addition, they realise that they make positive first impressions which, however, decline after new acquaintances get to know them better (Back et al., 2010). They know they are arrogant and describe themselves and their reputation as narcissistic.

Carlson et al. confirm results of previous studies on the self-perception of narcissists, however, they also investigate narcissists’ meta-perception. This is the belief of how others view them (Park & Colvin, 2013). Anderson and colleagues highlight the effect of meta-perceptions on our self-perception, behaviour, well-being, and relationships (Anderson, 2006). Given the popular theory that narcissists use others – through meta-perception – to boost their exaggerated positive self-perception, it is worth emphasising the importance of the findings of Carlson et al.

Carlson and colleagues carried out three different studies to assure their results were consistent, and replicable, however, their sample group consisted of college students studying in the US. This severely limits the generalisability of the results because the sample is not representative of a wider population (Kaufman, 2011). Further limitations of the studies are flagged up by the psychologist W. Keith Campbell: Carlson and colleagues do not mention that narcissists can still deceive themselves, even though they seem very self-aware, for example by taking sole credit for team successes or blaming others for personal failures.

How do narcissists explain the difference between their self-perception and others’ perception of them?

Carlson and colleagues offer a few suggestions. For one, narcissists might think that others simply fail to recognise their ‘brilliance’ (Carlson et al., 2011). Furthermore, narcissists might take in the negative feedback but then come to the conclusion that the critics are ‘jealous of them’ (Kaufman, 2011). While these suggestions seem plausible, further research must be carried out to either confirm or disprove these hypotheses. Campbell and colleagues suggest the arrogant behaviour narcissists display might be their way of demanding the recognition they think they deserve. They do this to compensate for insecurities that they are not willing or able to acknowledge and confront (Morf & Rhodewalt, 2001) (Campbell et al., 2007). According to the researchers this behaviour is consistent with the self-verification theory, which is the idea that individuals want to confirm their own positive or negative self-concepts (Guy-Evans, 2023). Essentially, narcissists try to close the gap between their self-perception and meta-perception (Campbell et al., 2007).

Other studies suggest that narcissists simply do not care that others dislike them. Instead of wanting to be liked, they want to be admired (Raskin & Terry, 1988). Raskin and Terry suggest that narcissists might equalise arrogance with dominance which, to them, is a positive trait.

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So… who is a narcissist? Are you?

If you are worried that might be a narcissist, you probably are not! You would most likely already know that you are a narcissist and not be concerned about it. It is also important to recognise that we all have narcissistic traits, and that this is probably a good thing because they can help maintain our psychological well-being (Cohut, 2019). Narcissism is a spectrum that we all are on. There are different measures of the trait which might even change whether one can be diagnosed as narcissist or not (Raskin & Terry, 1988). However, the individual themselves is probably the most reliable source when assessing whether they are a narcissist.

• This post was originally written as part of PB101: Foundations of Psychological Science, which is a core course on the BSc Psychological and Behavioural Science. It has been published with the permission of the author.
• The opinions in this post are of the author, not of the Department of Psychological and Behavioural Science or LSE.
• Cover image by Milada Vigerova from Unsplash.

References

• Anderson, C., Srivastava, S., Beer, J. S., Spataro, S. E., & Chatman, J. A. (2006). Knowing your place: Self-perceptions of status in face-to-face groups. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 91(6), 1094–1110. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.91.6.1094
• Back, M. D., Schmukle, S. C., & Egloff, B. (2010). Why are narcissists so charming at first sight? Decoding the narcissism–popularity link at zero acquaintance. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 98(1), 132–145. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0016338
• Baumeister, R. F., Bushman, B. J., & Campbell, W. K. (2000). Self-Esteem, Narcissism, and Aggression. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 9(1), 26–29. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8721.00053
• Brennan, D. (2020, December 2). Narcissism: Symptoms and Signs. WebMD. https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/narcissism-symptoms-signs
• Caligor, E., Levy, K. N., & Yeomans, F. E. (2015). Narcissistic personality disorder: Diagnostic and clinical challenges. American Journal of Psychiatry, 172(5), 415–422. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.2014.14060723
• Campbell, W.K., Bosson, J. K., Goheen, T. W., Lakey, C. E., & Kernis, M. H. (2007). Do narcissists dislike themselves “deep down inside”? Psychological Science, 18(3), 227–229. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9280.2007.01880.x
• Carlson, E. N., Vazire, S., & Oltmanns, T. F. (2011). You probably think this paper’s about you: Narcissists’ perceptions of their personality and reputation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 101(1), 185–201. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0023781
• Ciccarelli, S. K., & Noland, J. (2013). Psychology : DSM 5 (5th ed.). Pearson.
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• Guy-Evans, O. (2023, September 19). Self-Verification Theory. Simply Psychology. https://www.simplypsychology.org/self-verification-theory.html
• Kaufman, S. B. (2011, March 15). Do Narcissists Know They Are Narcissists? Psychology Today. United Kingdom. Www.psychologytoday.com. https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/beautiful-minds/201103/do-narcissists-know-they-are-narcissists
• Koch, S. L. (2021). Narzissmus verstehen—Narzisstischen missbrauch erkennen die narzisstische Persönlichkeitsstörung in ihren Ursachen und Auswirkungen. Books on Demand
• Miller, J. D., Lynam, D. R., Vize, C., Crowe, M., Sleep, C., Maples‐Keller, J. L., Few, L. R., & Campbell, W. K. (2017). Vulnerable Narcissism Is (Mostly) a Disorder of Neuroticism. Journal of Personality, 86(2), 186–199. https://doi.org/10.1111/jopy.12303
• Morf, C. C., & Rhodewalt, F. (2001). Unraveling the Paradoxes of Narcissism: A Dynamic Self-Regulatory Processing Model. Psychological Inquiry, 12(4), 177–196. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327965pli1204_1
• Narcissistic Personality Inventory: Narcissism Test. (2019). Openpsychometrics.org. https://openpsychometrics.org/tests/NPI/
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• Peterson, T. (2016). Why Can Mental Illness Be So Hard to Diagnose? | HealthyPlace. Healthyplace.com. https://www.healthyplace.com/other-info/mental-health-newsletter/why-can-mental-illness-be-so-hard-to-diagnose
• Pincus, A. L., Ansell, E. B., Pimentel, C. A., Cain, N. M., Wright, A. G. C., & Levy, K. N. (2009). Initial construction and validation of the Pathological Narcissism Inventory. Psychological Assessment, 21(3), 365–379. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0016530
• Raskin, R., & Terry, H. (1988). A principal-components analysis of the Narcissistic Personality Inventory and further evidence of its construct validity. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 54(5), 890–902. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.54.5.890
• Wilding, M. (2018, November 14). I’m a professor of human behavior, and I have some news for you about the “narcissists” in your life. Business Insider. https://www.businessinsider.com/narcissism-vs-narcissist-2018-11?r=US&IR=
• Zajenkowski, M., & Szymaniak, K. (2019). Narcissism between facets and domains. The relationships between two types