A masked negative self-esteem? Implicit and explicit self-esteem in patients with Narcissistic Personality Disorder

Marissen, Marlies A.E.; Brouwer, Marlies; Hiemstra, Annemarie M. F.; Deen, Mathijs; Franken, Ingmar H.A.

doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2016.04.070

Cited by 16 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…Previous studies have suggested that individuals with grandiosity traits can have either positive or negative implicit self-view (Jordan et al, 2003; Zeigler-Hill, 2006; Campbell et al, 2007). Other studies have shown that narcissistic patients did not differ in levels of implicit self-esteem compared to healthy controls (Vater et al, 2013; Marissen et al, 2016). Despite empirical studies not demonstrating that implicit self-esteem is significantly associated with grandiose narcissistic traits, the role of implicit self-esteem in individuals with grandiosity traits remains a relevant topic.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 81%

Narcissistic Traits and Explicit Self-Esteem: The Moderating Role of Implicit Self-View

2016

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Objective: Whilst the relationship between narcissism and self-esteem has been studied for a long time, findings are still controversial. The majority of studies investigated narcissistic grandiosity (NG), neglecting the existence of vulnerable manifestations of narcissism. Moreover, recent studies have shown that grandiosity traits are not always associated with inflated explicit self-esteem. The aim of the present study is to investigate the relationship between narcissistic traits and explicit self-esteem, distinguishing between grandiosity and vulnerability. Moreover, we consider the role of implicit self-esteem in qualifying these associations.Method: Narcissistic traits, explicit and implicit self-esteem measures were assessed among 120 university students (55.8% women, Mage = 22.55, SD = 3.03).Results: Results showed different patterns of association between narcissistic traits and explicit self-esteem, depending on phenotypic manifestations of narcissism. Narcissistic vulnerability (NV) was linked to low explicit self-evaluations regardless of one’s levels of implicit self-esteem. On the other hand, the link between NG and explicit self-esteem was qualified by levels of implicit self-views, such that grandiosity was significantly associated with inflated explicit self-evaluations only at either high or medium levels of implicit self-views.Discussion: These findings showed that the relationship between narcissistic traits and explicit self-esteem is not univocal, highlighting the importance of distinguishing between NG and NV. Finally, the study suggested that both researchers and clinicians should consider the relevant role of implicit self-views in conditioning self-esteem levels reported explicitly by individuals with grandiose narcissistic traits.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 81%

Narcissistic Traits and Explicit Self-Esteem: The Moderating Role of Implicit Self-View

2016

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“…The findings reported here might be subject to controversy, as they could be seen as supporting a mask model of narcissism; i.e., the psychodynamically inspired notion that narcissistic grandiosity is a facade to mask an underlying vulnerable self ( Kernberg, 1975 ; Kohut, 1977 ). Though there is some recent neurophysiological evidence in favor of this model ( Cascio et al, 2015 ; Jauk et al, 2017a ), there is also strong behavioral evidence against it ( Campbell et al, 2007 ; Marissen et al, 2016 ). The data reported here cannot speak to the causal nature of grandiosity and vulnerability.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Higher the Score, the Darker the Core: The Nonlinear Association Between Grandiose and Vulnerable Narcissism

Jauk

Kaufman

2018

Front. Psychol.

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Narcissism is a truly Janusian phenomenon, consisting of both narcissistic grandiosity, exhibitionism, admiration-seeking, boldness, and dominance on the one hand, and narcissistic vulnerability, introversion, withdrawal, hypersensitivity, and anxiety on the other hand. While there is broad consensus that these two seemingly contradictory faces of narcissism can be empirically discerned and have different implications for psychological functioning and mental health, there is not yet agreement on whether grandiose and vulnerable narcissism should be regarded as independent traits or as two manifestations of one personality trait. Previous research indicates that both views hold true when the level of grandiosity is considered a moderating factor: while grandiose and vulnerable narcissism are largely unrelated in the range of normal personality variation, they are correlated in the range of high grandiosity (Jauk et al., 2017b). Here, we replicate and extend this work in an independent sample (N = 891) using a more comprehensive narcissism inventory grounded in a new trifurcated model of narcissism. The trifurcated model partitions narcissism into three main personality dimensions: agentic extraversion, antagonism, and neuroticism. We found a significant breakpoint in the association between narcissistic grandiosity and vulnerability at 75% cumulative frequency of grandiosity. While grandiosity and vulnerability are unrelated below this breakpoint (r = 0.02), they are strongly correlated above (r = 0.45). In the lower range of grandiose narcissism, grandiosity draws more upon agentic extraversion and is largely associated with mental health. In the upper range, however, grandiosity is more strongly linked to antagonism and is substantially associated with fear, negative affect, and depression. These findings provide evidence for the view that grandiose and vulnerable narcissism are distinct traits at lower levels of grandiosity, but blend into an antagonistic core with signs of psychological maladjustment at higher levels. Implications for research on narcissism as a personality trait, as well as clinical practice, are discussed.

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“…Efforts to empirically conceptualize these differences were first focusing on the "masking" of inferiority by maintaining a grandiose selfview (Morf & Rhodewalt, 2001). This mask model was later connected with fragile self-esteem and the interaction between implicit automatic, uncontrollable self-esteem and high overt levels of explicit self-esteem (Marissen, Brouwer, Hiemstra, & Deen, 2016). Evolving evidence of the co-occurrence of and fluctuations between grandiosity and vulnerability (Pincus et al, 2014) gradually connected with theoretical and clinical psychodynamic accounts on overt and covert narcissism, oscillation between superiority, and control versus inferiority and powerlessness, and between anger and shame (Akhtar, 1989;Ritter et al, 2014;Ronningstam, 2012).…”

Section: Limited Affect Tolerance and Compromised Emotion Processingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Internal Processing in Patients With Pathological Narcissism or Narcissistic Personality Disorder: Implications for Alliance Building and Therapeutic Strategies

Ronningstam

2020

Journal of Personality Disorders

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Pathological narcissism (PN) and narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) have primarily been identified by striking external features, such as superiority, attention seeking and a critical or condescending attitude, and less attention has been paid to the internal processing contributing to this particular personality functioning. High dropout from treatment and challenges in building a therapeutic alliance with these patients call for further understanding of the complexity of disordered narcissism. Recent research on neuropsychological underpinnings to narcissistic pathology have provided valuable information that can inform therapeutic interventions for patients with this personality pathology. Internal processing in patients with PN or NPD is specifically influenced by compromised emotion processing and tolerance, identity diffusion, fluctuating sense of agency, reflective ability, perfectionism-related selfesteem, and ability to symbolize. The aim of this article is to review research studies with relevance for internal processing related to disordered narcissism and integrate findings with therapeutic strategies in alliance building with these patients.

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A masked negative self-esteem? Implicit and explicit self-esteem in patients with Narcissistic Personality Disorder

Cited by 16 publications

References 44 publications

Narcissistic Traits and Explicit Self-Esteem: The Moderating Role of Implicit Self-View

Narcissistic Traits and Explicit Self-Esteem: The Moderating Role of Implicit Self-View

The Higher the Score, the Darker the Core: The Nonlinear Association Between Grandiose and Vulnerable Narcissism

Internal Processing in Patients With Pathological Narcissism or Narcissistic Personality Disorder: Implications for Alliance Building and Therapeutic Strategies

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