In the mind of Narcissus: The mediating role of emotional regulation in the emergence of distorted cognitions.

Introduction: Currently narcissism is considered one of the most widespread phenomenon. As a consequence, its different types (grandiose and vulnerable narcissism) have been investigated from several different perspectives. The present research attempts to explore the differences between the two types of narcissism and their links with different cognitive components that are connected to these personality traits. The primary aim of our study is to investigate the possible connections among maladaptive schemas (entitlement, vulnerability, emotional deprivation) and cognitive evaluation systems (self-esteem, systemizing-empathizing) and narcissism.

Methods: We applied both correlation and path analyses to explore the hypothesized associations.

Results: The results show that early maladaptive schemas are strongly associated with narcissism and the empathizing system. The different subtypes of narcissism have different connections with self-esteem.

Conclusion: Our results show that the two types of narcissism have different manifestations and connections with the early maladaptive schemas, Emphatizing Quotient, and self-esteem. Our empirical results serve as important and empirically supported inputs to counseling and clinical practice.