Investigating Trait Profiles of Narcissism Using the Personality Inventory for DSM-5 (PID-5)

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Clinical Psychology
• Personality Disorders

Background:

• The operationalization and empirical assessment of narcissism lack consensus in existing literature.
• The Alternative Model for Personality Disorders (AMPD) offers a potential framework for unifying narcissism conceptualizations.
• Current AMPD Criterion B trait profiles for narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) are limited, primarily capturing grandiose narcissism and excluding antagonism and vulnerability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the utility of the AMPD trait model in encompassing various conceptualizations of narcissism.
• To explore how AMPD traits can capture the heterogeneity of narcissistic personality disorder (NPD).

Main Methods:

• Correlational analyses were employed to assess the relationship between specific AMPD trait facets and narcissism measures.
• Latent class analyses (LCA) were conducted to identify distinct subgroups within the narcissism spectrum.
• Key trait facets examined included Emotional Lability, Anxiousness, Separation Insecurity, Suspiciousness, and Perseveration.

Main Results:

• Trait facets such as Emotional Lability, Anxiousness, Separation Insecurity, Suspiciousness, and Perseveration showed large effect size correlations (r ≥ 0.5) with narcissism measures.
• Latent class analyses identified distinct classes: nonpathological narcissism, anxious narcissism, adaptive narcissism, and pathological narcissism.
• Findings indicate that AMPD traits effectively capture diverse expressions of narcissism.

Conclusions:

• The AMPD trait model demonstrates utility in capturing various conceptualizations of narcissism, moving beyond solely grandiose presentations.
• AMPD traits can differentiate between varying severity levels of narcissism, including nonpathological and pathological forms.
• This research supports the integration of AMPD traits for a more comprehensive assessment of narcissistic personality disorder (NPD).