Two methods of assessing narcissism: Comparison of the narcissism-projective (N-P) and the narcissistic personality inventory (NPI)

Abstract

Students in Introductory Psychology (N = 75) were administered the Narcissism‐Projective (N‐P), which asks subjects to describe two TAT cards and two early childhood memories. Protocols were scored using criteria adapted from the DSM‐III section that describes the narcissistic personality disorder. On the basis of these ratings, the high and low narcissists (N = 16) were chosen for further study. These subjects were interviewed by an experienced clinician who was unaware of their performance on the N‐P. The interviewer rated each subject as either a high or low narcissist. After the interview, the subject was administered the Narcissistic Personality inventory (NPI). Results indicate a statistically significant relationship between the interview assessment of narcissism and the N‐P (p < 0.01), the NPI (p < 0.05), and the NPI factor of self‐absorption/self‐admiration (p < 0.05). The limitations and implicaions of these data are discussed. It is concluded that both measures demonstrate promise as instruments useful in the rigorous scientific investigation of significant clinical and theoretical issues related to narcissism.

The origins of narcissism and narcissistic personality disorder: A theoretical and empirical reformulation.

“…Although intriguing, the results of these studies are also contradictory. Some findings support Kernberg's view that narcissistic personality disorder is rooted in conflict and in the use of grandiose defenses against issues of aggression, envy, and dependence (Glassman, 198813;Harder, 1984;Raskin & Novacek, 1991;Raskin, Novacek, & Hogan, 1991a, 1991bShulman & Ferguson, 1988b). Other results support the Kohutian position that this form of psychopathology involves a developmental deficit in needs for mirroring and idealization (Glassman, 1988a;Lapan & Patton, 1986;Patton, Connor, & Scott, 1982;Payne, Robbins, & Dougherty, 1991;Robbins, 1989;Robbins & Patton, 1985).…”

Influence of Religiosity on 12-Step Participation and Treatment Response Among Substance-Dependent Adolescents

“…Three NPI subscales shown to be elevated in substance-dependent populations were selected (Pagano et al, 2010a): exhibitionism (range: 0-7), entitlement (range: 0-6), and vanity (range: 0-3). The NPI has demonstrated adequate construct validity (Exline et al, 2004;Raskin and Terry, 1988;Shulman and Ferguson, 1988), good internal consistency (α = .82; Exline et al, 2004), and good test-retest reliability (rs = .57-.81; Del Rosario and White, 2005) among young adult populations. As shown in Table 2, there were signifi cant small correlations between NPI subscales (rs = .09-.27) and small correlations between NPI-exhibitionism and substance-related outcomes (rs = .10-.13).…”

Unraveling Exercise Addiction: The Role of Narcissism and Self-Esteem

“…The Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI) [37, 38] was used to estimate narcissistic components. NPI is a 40-item self-report questionnaire based on DSM-IV-TR criteria for Narcissistic Personality Disorder.…”