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Development and validation of the Single Item Narcissism Scale (SINS)
Sara Konrath1, Brian P Meier2, Brad J Bushman3
1Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of America; Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America; Department of Psychiatry, University of Rochester Medical School, Rochester, New York, United States of America.
Main Objectives:
The narcissistic personality is characterized by grandiosity, entitlement, and low empathy. This paper describes the development and validation of the Single Item Narcissism Scale (SINS). Although the use of longer instruments is superior in most circumstances, we recommend the SINS in some circumstances (e.g. under serious time constraints, online studies).
Methods:
In 11 independent studies (total N = 2,250), we demonstrate the SINS' psychometric properties.
Results:
The SINS is significantly correlated with longer narcissism scales, but uncorrelated with self-esteem. It also has high test-retest reliability. We validate the SINS in a variety of samples (e.g., undergraduates, nationally representative adults), intrapersonal correlates (e.g., positive affect, depression), and interpersonal correlates (e.g., aggression, relationship quality, prosocial behavior). The SINS taps into the more fragile and less desirable components of narcissism.
Significance:
The SINS can be a useful tool for researchers, especially when it is important to measure narcissism with constraints preventing the use of longer measures.
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