Narcissistic Self-Beliefs

Individuals with narcissistic traits tend to be put under one umbrella term, where they are defined by a high self-conviction and an unawareness of their damaging behaviour. However, we may have gotten our wires crossed when colloquially thinking that all narcissists are similar. To gain an understanding of the self-image of individuals with elevated grandiose and vulnerable narcissistic traits, we investigated the narcissistic subcomponents and both the content (i.e., agentic, communal, positive/negative), and the form (i.e., discrepancies between the actual-, imposed-, ideal-, and unwanted-self) of self-beliefs. Participants (N=203, Mage=22.72, 68.5% female) completed narcissism questionnaires and a self-belief interview. The results indicated an unapologetic awareness of unsociable attributes within the grandiose exploitativeness/entitlement subcomponent. Leadership/authority related to aiming for personal success at the possible expansive of interpersonally beneficial behaviour, self-absorption/self-admiration to employing two different standards for social behaviour to the self and others, and superiority/arrogance demonstrated a positive personal view of oneself. Within the vulnerable narcissistic subcomponents, oversensitivity to judgement related to personal (e.g., lazy) and egocentrism to interpersonal shortcomings. Only oversensitivity to judgement showed a discrepancy between how one is and how one would ideally like to be. Overall, the grandiose focus was primarily on getting ahead of rather than getting along with others and the vulnerable focus was on negative self-beliefs.