Psychophysiological characteristics of narcissism during active and passive coping
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Updated: Oct 2, 2026

Psychophysiological Assessment of the Effectiveness of Emotion Regulation Strategies in Childhood
Published on: February 11, 2017
R M Kelsey1, S R Ornduff, C M McCann
1Department of Pediatrics, University of Tennessee College of Medicine, Memphis 38105, USA. rkesley@utmem.edu
Abstract:
This study provides the first psychophysiological analysis of narcissism by measuring autonomic responses during active and passive anticipatory coping in 40 undergraduate men who scored high or low on the Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI). Compared to the low NPI group, the high NPI group showed greater preejection period (PEP) shortening, cardiac deceleration, and skin conductance response (SCR) habituation during anticipation of an aversive stimulus (p < .02). As expected, SCR and PEP reactivity were greater during active than passive coping. In the case of PEP, this effect emerged only in the low NPI group; the high NPI group showed the greatest PEP reactivity during the first task, regardless of coping demands. These data support hypothesized relationships among narcissism, psychopathy, and psychological predictors of cardiovascular disease, and suggest that a psychobiological dimension may underlie important features of narcissism.
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