Differentiations in Interpersonal Functioning Across Narcissism Dimensions

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Social Psychology
• Personality Psychology

Background:

• Narcissism is often viewed hierarchically, from a global construct to specific dimensions.
• Previous models may not fully capture the multifaceted nature of narcissistic interpersonal functioning.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how different levels of narcissism dimensions relate to interpersonal functioning.
• To compare the interpersonal profiles of narcissism across hierarchical levels.

Main Methods:

• Data collected from 447 MTurk workers, 606 students, and 365 informants.
• Assessment of multiple domains of interpersonal functioning.
• Analysis of narcissism dimensions at global, two-dimensional, and trifurcated levels.

Main Results:

• Each narcissism dimension demonstrated unique interpersonal profiles.
• Interpersonal antagonism aligned with grandiose and total narcissism.
• Narcissistic neuroticism resembled vulnerable narcissism.
• Agentic extraversion showed similarities to traditional extraversion.

Conclusions:

• The trifurcated model of narcissism provides a more detailed understanding of interpersonal functioning.
• Future research should consider the trifurcated model for studying narcissism and its associations with other psychological constructs.