Profiling narcissism: Evidence for grandiose-vulnerable and other subtypes

Abstract

Narcissism is viewed in terms of grandiose versus vulnerable conceptualizations, though among individuals both features may be present. The Narcissism Admiration and Rivalry questionnaire (NARQ) was designed to assess grandiose narcissism. Yet, the rivalry domain also reflects vulnerable narcissism. Using three large general population samples we examined the nature of the NARQ via variable- and person-centered latent variable modeling. Structural modeling results supported the two-factor NARQ model. The rivalry domain accounted for traditional measures of vulnerable narcissism, neuroticism, and aggression. The admiration domain accounted for traditional measures of grandiose narcissism and extroversion. Latent profile analysis resulted in four replicable subtypes, including a grandiose-vulnerable subtype, which were validated in terms of general personality traits, antagonism, aggression, and self-esteem.