Relationships Among Facets of Narcissism, Symptoms of Eating Disorders, and Symptoms of Muscle Dysmorphia

Abstract

Previous research exploring the relationship between muscle dysmorphia, drive for muscularity, and disordered eating behaviors in relation to personality characteristics, particularly narcissism, has yielded interesting, though often conflictual, results. This study explores these relationships through assessing muscle dysmorphia, drive for muscularity, and disordered eating in relation to grandiose and hypersensitive narcissism. Participants included 173 male college students who were recruited via departmental Study Board. Participants completed demographic information, the Narcissistic Personality Inventory-40, the Hypersensitive Narcissism Scale, the Muscle Dysmorphia Questionnaire, the Drive for Muscularity Scale, and the Eating Attitudes Test-26. Results indicated a positive relationship between muscle dysmorphia symptomatology and hypersensitive narcissism, and positive relationships between drive for muscularity and facets of grandiose narcissism. Results indicated that disordered eating was not related to narcissism. Results provide direction for the further study of the dimensional structure of the construct of narcissism and treatment implications for those suffering from muscle dysmorphia.

Disentangling the Contributions of Agentic, Antagonistic, and Neurotic Narcissism to Drive for Thinness and Drive for Muscularity

“…So far, only a few studies have investigated the association of muscularity-oriented body image concerns and narcissism. One study found a more pronounced drive for muscularity in men with higher levels of grandiose narcissism (Littrell et al, 2020), whereas another did not find such a correlation (Davis et al, 2005). For women, grandiose narcissism was also significantly related to drive for muscularity, whereas vulnerable narcissism, on the other hand, was not (Gordon & Dombeck, 2010).…”

Differential prevalence of depressive and narcissistic traits in competing and non-competing bodybuilders in relation to muscle dysmorphia levels

“…Individuals with high levels of narcissism can invest in physical appearance and physical exercise in an attempt to strengthen or enhance their sense of self-worth (Gordon and Dombeck, 2010;Miller and Mesagno, 2014). In this direction, some evidence suggests a possible relationship between narcissism and drive for muscularity (Littrell et al, 2020); however, the literature on the relationship between narcissism and muscle dysmorphic symptoms is scarce and inconclusive (Kuennen and Waldron, 2007;Littrell et al, 2020), and calls for further investigation. On the contrary, if standards are not or only partially met, shame prevails and persists, with serious consequences on of non-training men.…”

“…Some authors suggest considering two subtypes of narcissism: grandiose and vulnerable. Grandiose narcissism, a core feature of narcissistic personality disorders (American Psychiatric Association, 2013), is characterised by a profound need for admiration, grandiose thought and behaviours, lack of empathy, an apparent security in social relations, and an intolerance of criticism and a tendency to devalue others (Littrell et al, 2020;Pincus and Lukowitsky, 2010). Vulnerable narcissism, on the other hand, is characterised by a poor self-image, anxiety in social relationships, hypersensitivity to the judgment and opinions of others.…”

“…Vulnerable narcissism, on the other hand, is characterised by a poor self-image, anxiety in social relationships, hypersensitivity to the judgment and opinions of others. These subjects tend to respond to criticism by withdrawing, avoiding, and experiencing pervasive feelings of shame (Dickinson and Pincus, 2003;Littrell, 2015;Littrell et al, 2020). Some data suggest that vulnerable narcissism is more related to the development of body dysmorphic concerns and disordered eating behaviours (Back et al, 2010;Gordon and Dombeck, 2010;Littrell et al, 2020).…”

Disentangling the contributions of agentic, antagonistic, and neurotic narcissism to drive for thinness and drive for muscularity

“…So far, only a few studies have investigated the association of muscularity-oriented body image concerns and narcissism. One study found a more pronounced drive for muscularity in men with higher levels of grandiose narcissism [ 67 ], whereas another did not find such a correlation [ 55 ]. For women, grandiose narcissism was also significantly related to drive for muscularity, whereas vulnerable narcissism, on the other hand, was not [ 5 ].…”