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Three-Dimensional Narcissism Scale for Children: Structure, Reliability, and Construct Validity
Anna Turek1, Marcin Zajenkowski1, Radosław Rogoza2
1University of Warsaw, Poland.
Assessment
|March 21, 2025
Summary
This study introduces a new 12-item measure for assessing three dimensions of narcissism—agentic, antagonistic, and neurotic—in children aged 8-10. The measure demonstrates reliability and validity, filling a gap in child psychology research.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Clinical Psychology
- Personality Psychology
Background:
- Narcissism is recognized as a multidimensional construct with agentic, antagonistic, and neurotic facets in adults.
- Existing research lacks validated instruments for assessing multidimensional narcissism in children.
- This gap hinders the comprehensive understanding and study of narcissistic traits during childhood development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce and validate a novel, multidimensional measure of narcissism for children.
- To assess the three-factor structure (agentic, antagonistic, neurotic) of narcissism in a pediatric population.
- To establish the reliability and validity of the new narcissism scale for children aged 8–10 years.
Main Methods:
- Conducted three studies with child participants aged 8–10 years (total N = 587).
- Developed and administered a new 12-item scale to measure agentic, antagonistic, and neurotic narcissism.
- Analyzed the factor structure, reliability (e.g., internal consistency), and validity (correlations with related constructs) of the new measure.
Main Results:
- The three-factor structure of narcissism (agentic, antagonistic, neurotic) was confirmed in children.
- The 12-item measure exhibited good reliability and validity.
- Specific correlations were found: agentic narcissism with self-enhancement and self-esteem; neurotic narcissism with self-esteem; antagonistic narcissism with self-enhancement and self-transcendence.
Conclusions:
- A reliable and valid 12-item measure for assessing agentic, antagonistic, and neurotic narcissism in children is now available.
- This instrument addresses the need for tools to study the nuanced structure of narcissism in childhood.
- Findings support the applicability of the multidimensional narcissism model to pediatric populations.
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