Self- and object-directedness in adult women

Separate factor analyses of items anchoring the opposite ends of a narcissism prototype derived from the California Q-set resulted in three narcissism or self-directed factors: Hypersensitivity, Willfulness, and Autonomy; and two factors hypothesized to represent the object-directed line of development: Straightforwardness and Givingness. These five factors were scored in Q-sort descriptions of 103 adult women. Correlates of the factors with the California Psychological Inventory, Adjective Check List, Sentence Completion Test, and life measures supported the usefulness of the distinction between self- and object-directedness. Whereas the narcissistic trajectory related to creativity, norm questioning, undercontrol of impulses, independence, and work orientation, the object-directed line of development was associated with prosocial inclinations, suppressive ego control, readiness to accept life demands, and stress on interpersonal relations.