Through rose-coloured glasses: An empirical test of narcissistic overestimation
Jill Lobbestael1, Anique de Bruin2, Ellen Kok2
1Department of Clinical Psychological Science, Faculty of Psychology and Neuropsychology, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands. Jill.Lobbestael@maastrichtuniversity.nl.
Background:
Grandiosity is designated as a hallmark trait of narcissism. The current study tested whether narcissistic traits are related to overestimation of a range of agentic performances.
Method:
Eighty-five non-patients executed six objective tasks to assess their level of (emotional) intelligence, first impression, attractiveness, social skills and learning performance. They were also asked to estimate their level of functioning in these six areas. This estimation was given on two moments: before and after performing the objective tasks. Our main variable of interest was the degree to which subjective estimation exceeds objective scores.
Results:
Narcissistic traits were related to overestimation of (emotional) intelligence, attractiveness and social skills, particularly at a global level before performing the tasks.
Limitations:
The use of a homogenous student sample; Mainly agentic performances, were studied.
Conclusion:
Overall, the findings provide a theoretical validation of unwarranted feelings of grandiosity as a core narcissistic criterion. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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