The relation between narcissism and aggression: A meta‐analysis

Abstract

Objective: Narcissism is a complex, hierarchical construct that can be studied at the one, two, or three factor levels with different components within each level having their own unique nomological networks. The manner in which narcissism-both broadly and narrowly construed-is linked to aggression is important to understand given longstanding clinical and empirical observations of a link between the two and the critical implications of aggression. Methods:The current preregistered meta-analysis (k = 118) took a novel methodological approach in exploring the association between the three levels of narcissism (i.e., global construct level, dual-dimension level, trifurcated level) and three indices of aggression (i.e., general, proactive, reactive). Results: Results revealed that the global construct of narcissism shows a moderate positive association with different indices of aggression. Vulnerable narcissism associated strongly and positively with reactive aggression and general aggression. At the trifurcated level, interpersonal antagonism associated positively with all indices of aggression, agentic extraversion associated negatively with all indices of aggression, and narcissistic neuroticism associates positively with general and reactive aggression. Conclusion:The study highlighted the importance of studying narcissism, and potentially other personality profiles, at a finer-grained level to better understand crucial psychological processes associated with the construct of interest.

Age and Gender Differences in Narcissism: A Comprehensive Study Across Eight Measures and Over 250,000 Participants

“…In addition, given that the obtained age differences in narcissism mirror those found for the Big Five personality traits-such as higher agreeableness and lower extraversion and neuroticism in older adulthood (e.g., -it could also be possible that these age-related differences share similar developmental determinants. This is underlined by recent findings of strong correlational overlaps between extraversion, neuroticism, and agreeableness and specific narcissism measures also used in the present study (Du et al, 2021). Thus, it would be interesting for future studies to examine if the same factors that drive agreeableness to be higher with age, are also the same factors that drive the antagonistic part of narcissism to be lower with age.…”

“…The same can be done with associations between age and gender and narcissism (e.g., is variability in age and gender differences in some narcissism scales attributable to the fact that the measures might be heavily weighted with elements of extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism?). Although there was not perfect overlap in our measures and those used in Du et al (2021), some comparisons could be made. Specifically, narcissism measures that more overlapping content with extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism showed more dramatic (negative) associations with age (the associations between the age coefficients and the weights provided by Du et al, 2021 ranged from |.20| to |.40|).…”

“…Specifically, narcissism measures that more overlapping content with extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism showed more dramatic (negative) associations with age (the associations between the age coefficients and the weights provided by Du et al, 2021 ranged from |.20| to |.40|). For example, the well-documented lifespan differences in neuroticism (e.g., that older adults are lower in neuroticism) can be seen in measures that are more closely weighted with neuroticism (Du et al, 2021). Likewise, gender differences in narcissism inventories tapping into elements of extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism also reproduce gender differences seen previously (i.e., measures that more closely tapped into these three traits reported larger gender differences (e.g., ranging from |.21| to |.43|).…”

“…This means that people transitioning into these roles likely become more conscientious, agreeable, and emotionally stable (e.g., Bleidorn et al, 2013). Given that antagonistic narcissism is related to lower levels of agreeableness, agentic narcissism linked to higher levels of extraversion, and vulnerable narcissism associated with higher neuroticism (e.g., Du et al, 2021;Paulhus & Williams, 2002;, it is likely that narcissism might also decrease during young adulthood through similar processes of adopting and investing in social roles.…”

Age and gender differences in narcissism: A comprehensive study across eight measures and over 250,000 participants.

“…This means that people transitioning into these roles likely become more conscientious, agreeable, and emotionally stable (e.g., Bleidorn et al, 2013). Given that antagonistic narcissism is related to lower levels of Agreeableness, agentic narcissism linked to higher levels of Extraversion, and vulnerable narcissism associated with higher Neuroticism (e.g., Du et al, 2022; Weiss & Miller, 2018; Paulhus & Williams, 2002), it is likely that narcissism might also decrease during young adulthood through similar processes of adopting and investing in social roles.…”