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Updated: Jul 15, 2026

Validation of a Psychosocial Intervention on Body Image in Older People: An Experimental Design
Published on: May 31, 2021
The aging narcissus. Self-perception of aging and narcissism in old age
Agnieszka Turska-Kawa1, Irena Pilch2
1Institute of Political Science, University of Silesia, 40-007, Katowice, Bankowa 12, Poland.
Abstract:
Despite the popularity of research into narcissism, little is known about the effects of narcissism in older life. Starting from the premise that in older people the effects of narcissism can be visible in the ways in which they adapt to the challenges of aging, we explored the relationship of narcissism with self-perception of aging (SPA), a construct characterizing self-perceptions of older individuals regarding their overall functioning in the context of their aging. SPA reflects the degree to which older people are convinced that they are coping well with life tasks typically related to aging, and such assessments can be considered as a subjective equivalent of the term "successful aging". Previous research demonstrated a correlation of SPA with longevity and with numerous indicators of health and good adaptation. Our sample (N = 379) was randomly drawn from the Polish elderly population. Our results showed a negative relationship between SPA and vulnerable narcissism. In turn, the two dimensions of grandiose narcissism showed the opposing associations with SPA (admiration-positive relationship and rivalry-negative relationship).
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