Narcissism and causal attribution
E R Ladd1, M C Welsh, W F Vitulli
1Psychology Clinic, University of South Alabama, Mobile 36688, USA.
Psychological Reports
|February 1, 1997
Summary
Men with higher narcissistic personality traits attributed positive events to themselves and negative events to external factors. This study explored narcissistic personality and causal attribution styles.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Social Psychology
- Personality Psychology
Background:
- Narcissistic personality traits are associated with distinct cognitive and behavioral patterns.
- Causal attribution, the process of explaining events, can be internal/external and stable/unstable.
- Understanding how narcissism influences attributional style is crucial for personality research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between narcissistic personality traits and causal attributions for positive and negative events.
- To examine gender differences in this relationship.
- To validate the use of Self-referencing Closed-ended Vignettes in assessing attributional styles.
Main Methods:
- 119 undergraduate psychology students participated.
- Measures included the Narcissistic Personality Inventory-40 (NPI-40) and the Attributional Style Questionnaire (ASQ).
- Self-referencing Closed-ended Vignettes were also administered.
Main Results:
- Higher NPI-40 scores in men correlated with more internal and stable attributions for positive events.
- Higher NPI-40 scores in men correlated with more external and unstable attributions for negative events.
- Vignette scores positively correlated with ASQ scores, supporting vignette validity.
Conclusions:
- Narcissistic personality traits in men are linked to an optimistic bias in attributing positive events and a pessimistic bias for negative events.
- The findings contribute to understanding the cognitive underpinnings of narcissism.
- Self-referencing vignettes are a valid tool for assessing attributional styles.
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