Gender differences in narcissism: a meta-analytic review

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Social Psychology
• Personality Psychology

Background:

• Societal beliefs often suggest men are more narcissistic than women.
• Previous research lacked systematic reviews on the magnitude and stability of this gender difference.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review and quantify the gender difference in narcissism.
• To examine the stability of this difference across time and age groups.
• To investigate gender differences in specific facets of narcissism and vulnerable narcissism.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive meta-analysis of 355 studies (N = 470,846) examining narcissism and gender.
• Analysis of three facets of the Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI): Exploitative/Entitlement, Leadership/Authority, and Grandiose/Exhibitionism.
• Item response theory was used to assess measurement bias in Study 2 (N = 19,001).

Main Results:

• Men were found to be more narcissistic than women (d = .26).
• The gender difference was primarily driven by Exploitative/Entitlement (d = .29) and Leadership/Authority (d = .20) facets.
• No significant gender difference was observed in vulnerable narcissism (d = -.04), and observed differences were not due to measurement bias.

Conclusions:

• The findings support the biosocial approach to social role theory regarding gender differences.
• The study highlights that narcissism differences are real sex differences, not measurement artifacts.
• Implications are discussed for understanding gender disparities in leadership, aggression, and clinical applications, cautioning against stereotype perpetuation.