Structure, validity, and development of a brief version of the Narcissistic Inventory-Revised and its relation to current measures of vulnerable and grandiose narcissism

The interrelation of emotion regulation, anterior insula structure, and narcissistic traits

BACKGROUND

Emotion regulation deficits are prevalent in most psychiatric conditions; in particular in affective and personality disorders. The insula cortex is an intersection of emotion regulation, (expressive suppression vs. cognitive reappraisal), affective disorders, and traits predisposing dysfunctional personality. In this study, we tested the interrelation of emotion regulation strategies, brain structure, and narcissistic personality traits in a sub-clinical cohort.

METHODS

In a sample of 172 psychiatrically healthy individuals we obtained 3 T MRI to acquire high resolution T1 weighted images for analyses of voxel- and surface-based structural parameters (SPM12/CAT12) along with measures of dispositional use of emotion regulation (Emotion Regulation Questionnaire; ERQ) and narcissistic traits (Pathological Narcissism Inventory; PNI). We tested their interrelation using a GLM approach and mediation models.

RESULTS

ERQ mediated the negative association of right insula volume and PNI and the association of right insula gyrification and PNI. PNI mediated the association of bilateral insula volume and ERQ. Additionally, PNI sub-scales were positively associated with gyrification of bilateral anterior insulae, cortical thickness of left precuneus and negatively correlated with cortical thickness of the left inferior temporal gyrus.

LIMITATIONS

In contradistinction to preceding studies, no associations have been identified in prefrontal brain regions.

CONCLUSION

This is the first study that primarily tested meditated correlations of emotion regulation, brain structure, and narcissistic traits supporting the idea of the insula as a convergence structure for affective and personality disorders. Moreover, additional analyses indicate involvement of further brain regions such as precuneus and inferior temporal gyrus that have also been discussed in self-attributional processes.

Association between pathological narcissism and emotion regulation: The role of self-mentalizing?

Pathological narcissism (PN) is a common psychopathological issue leading to maladaptive strategies to cope with self-esteem threats, including self-enhancement and exploitation (grandiose strategies) or internalized shame, depression, and social withdrawal (vulnerable strategies). Mentalizing is a key process for regulating self and other representations and their associated emotions. Patients with PN further struggle with emotion dysregulation (ED), which during development is intertwined with the growing capacity to mentalize. We seek to contribute to emerging empirical data documenting the associations between PN and ED and between PN and mentalizing, and to provide information on the nature of their mutual relationships. In the present study, we assessed PN, ED, and three mentalizing dimensions (mentalizing self, other, and motivation to mentalize) in 183 patients consulting in our outpatient unit specialized in ED. We found that narcissistic vulnerability was negatively associated with self-mentalizing and positively associated with overall ED, both even after adjustment for borderline and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms. However, the association with ED was not maintained after further adjustment for self-mentalizing or overall-mentalizing, which suggests that mentalizing may play a mediating role in this relationship. On the other hand, narcissistic grandiosity was positively associated with other-mentalizing and ED and negatively associated with self-mentalizing in bivariate analyses, but these last two associations were not maintained after adjustment for comorbid borderline and/or ADHD symptomatology. This study provides new information on the link between PN and ED and on key mentalizing dimensions meaningfully relating to PN, notably through a potential role of self-mentalizing processes between PN and ED.

The dark triad and subjective well-being: The mediating role of cognitive-emotional regulation strategies

The dark triad (DT) is composed of psychopathy, narcissism, and Machiavellianism. These traits have usually been correlated with maladaptive strategies of emotion regulation. In turn, these types of strategies have shown a negative relationship with the components of subjective well-being (SWB): affective well-being (AWB) and cognitive well-being (CWB). The principal objective of the present study was to analyze the possible mediating role of adaptive and maladaptive cognitive-emotional regulation strategies in the relationship between the DT and SWB components. For this purpose, a community sample of 678 participants (M_age  = 35.03; 53.1% women) completed the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWB), the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS), the Cognitive Emotional Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ-36), and the Short Dark Triad (SD-3). The results showed a good fit with the model in which Machiavellianism was indirectly and negatively related to CWB through the effect of maladaptive strategies and AWB, and indirectly and positively related to CWB through the effect of adaptive strategies and AWB. Narcissism was indirectly positively related to CWB through the effect of adaptive strategies and AWB. Finally, psychopathy was indirectly negatively associated with CWB through the effect of adaptive strategies and AWB. Limitations and clinical implications of this research are discussed.

The Association Between Vulnerable/Grandiose Narcissism and Emotion Regulation

Narcissism has been widely discussed in the context of career success and leadership. Besides several adaptive traits, narcissism has been characterized by difficulties in emotion regulation. However, despite its essential role in mental health, there is little research on emotion regulation processes in narcissism. Specifically, the investigation of not only the habitual use of specific regulation strategies but also the actual ability to regulate is needed due to diverging implications for treatment approaches. Thereby it is important to differentiate between vulnerable and grandiose narcissism as these two phenotypes might be related differently to regulation deficits. The aim of this study was to examine the association between grandiose and vulnerable narcissism and emotion regulation in healthy individuals (30f/30m) focusing on the strategy reappraisal. Additionally, potential sex effects have been explored. Narcissism was assessed using self-report measures and emotion regulation with self-report questionnaires as well as an experimental regulation task. During this task, participants were presented with pictures of sad/happy faces with the instruction to indicate their subjective emotions via button press. Depending on the condition, participants either indicated their natural response or applied cognitive control strategies to regulate their own subjective emotions. Results indicate no relationship between grandiose and vulnerable narcissism and emotion regulation ability, irrespective of sex. Individuals high on vulnerable narcissism use the maladaptive regulation strategy suppression more frequently than individuals with low expressions. Individuals high on grandiose narcissism, in contrast, seem to avoid the suppression of positive emotions and do not express negative emotions in an uncontrolled manner. Interestingly, while grandiose narcissism was not associated with depressive symptoms, vulnerable narcissism correlated positively with depressive symptoms and anhedonia. Findings of this study underline the need to differentiate between grandiose and vulnerable manifestations of narcissism. Against our expectation, narcissism was not related to emotion regulation performance. In line with previous research, grandiose narcissism seems less harmful for mental health, while vulnerable narcissism is associated with psychological problems and the use of rather maladaptive emotion regulation strategies, i.e., suppression. Future research should investigate the relationship between pathological narcissism and emotion regulation also by extending the scope to other relevant regulation strategies.

Mom-and-Pop Narcissism: The Impact of Attention Seeking and Grandiosity on Couples' Experience of the Transition to Parenthood

Various studies have demonstrated associations between personality disorders and relationship satisfaction. The authors examine the associations between attention seeking and grandiosity, both features of narcissistic personality disorder, and relationship satisfaction before and after the transition to parenthood. The authors then expand their analysis to parental satisfaction and postpartum depression (PPD). Nonclinical couples (N = 103 couples) expecting their first child completed measures of grandiosity, attention seeking, and relationship satisfaction before birth, and of relationship satisfaction, parental satisfaction, and PPD symptoms 3 months afterward. Attention seeking was associated with less parental satisfaction and more PPD symptoms, and with less prepartum relationship satisfaction for participants' partners. For men, attention seeking was also associated with prepartum relationship satisfaction. Grandiosity was associated with a decrease in relationship satisfaction after birth, although, surprisingly with fewer PPD symptoms for participants' partners. The authors discuss how these findings might be related to changes in social support and work-life balance during the transition to parenthood.

The role of emotion regulation in predicting personality dimensions

Dimensional models of personality have been widely acknowledged in the field as alternatives to a trait-based system of nomenclature. While the importance of dimensional models has been established, less is known about the constructs underlying these personality dimensions. Emotion regulation is one such potential construct. The goal of the current study was to examine the relationship between personality dimensions and emotion regulation. More specifically, the predictive capacity of emotion regulation in accounting for personality dimensions and symptoms on the Schedule for Nonadaptive and Adaptive Personality-2 above and beyond a measure of general distress was evaluated. Emotion regulation was found to be predictive of most personality dimensions and symptoms of most personality disorders. Consistent with hypotheses, emotion regulation variables associated with undercontrol of emotions were most predictive of traits associated with Cluster B personality disorders whereas Cluster A and C traits were most associated with emotion regulation related to overcontrol of emotions. These findings provide preliminary evidence that some personality dimensions never assessed in relation to emotion regulation are strongly predicted by emotion regulation variables. Thus, the present study facilitates an initial step in understanding the relationship between personality dimensions and a multidimensional model of emotion regulation. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.