A tale of two audiences: Narcissism, failure reactivity, and perceived criticism from the self and others as internalized audiences

Provoked Narcissistic Aggression: Examining the Role of De-Escalated and Escalated Provocations

Theories have postulated why provocation is particularly likely to incite aggression for narcissists, but key propositions from such theories dealing with psychological process or boundary conditions have seldom been tested. Here, we investigated narcissists' cognitive, emotional, and motivational experience and aggression following escalated and de-escalated provocation. Participants (N = 680) completed measures of grandiose narcissism (normal and pathological expressions) and vulnerable narcissism. Next, participants simulated provocation via imagining everyday scenarios in which a provocateur either de-escalates (apologizes and expresses concern) or escalates (makes a spiteful remark) the provocation and then rated anger and humiliation, perceived "narcissistic injury," goals, and aggression. Expressions of grandiose narcissism, but vulnerable narcissism, more strongly related to aggression following escalated (vs. de-escalated) provocation. Path modeling revealed that perceived narcissistic injury and narcissistic-identity goals explained this relation for pathological grandiose narcissists, and revenge goals and narcissistic-identity goals explained this relation for normal grandiose narcissists. Conversely, vulnerable narcissism related more strongly to anger, perceived narcissistic injury, and narcissistic-identity goals following de-escalated (vs. escalated) provocation. Path modeling revealed that vulnerable narcissists' enhanced anger-induced aggression is bounded to de-escalated provocation. We discuss the findings in relation to various theories of provoked narcissistic aggression.

Narcissistic traits in young people: understanding the role of parenting and maltreatment

BACKGROUND

Elevated narcissism in young people often sets up a cascade of interpersonal and mental health challenges, reinforcing the need to understand its concomitants. Experiences of maltreatment and different parenting styles have been implicated but findings to date are inconclusive. By simultaneously considering multiple remembered parenting styles and maltreatment in a large sample, this study aims to elucidate possible prognostic factors associated with both grandiose and vulnerable narcissistic traits in youth.

METHODS

Young people (N = 328, age range: 17-25 years) reported on the remembered interpersonal environment and current grandiose and vulnerable narcissism traits. Structural equation modelling was used to examine maternal and paternal parenting styles and examine the association between experiences of parenting and grandiose and vulnerable narcissism.

RESULTS

Remembered overprotection from mothers and fathers was associated with both vulnerable and grandiose narcissistic traits. Remembered maternal overvaluation related to current grandiosity, and maternal leniency related to vulnerable narcissistic traits. For paternal parenting, the combination of overvaluation and leniency and overvaluation and care explained grandiose and vulnerable traits. There was no direct effect of remembered parental care or childhood maltreatment on current levels of narcissistic traits.

CONCLUSIONS

Remembered childhood experiences of being overprotected, overvalued and experiencing leniency in parental discipline, were associated with higher traits of pathological narcissism in young people. Care and maltreatment were non-specific risk factors. Remembered childhood environments of being excessively pampered are associated with grandiose and vulnerable narcissistic traits, characterised by the young person expressing unrealistic self-views, entitlement beliefs and impaired autonomy. In treatment these traits may emerge in the patient-therapist relationship and working through their developmental origins may contribute to outcomes.

Trait interpersonal vulnerability attenuates beneficial effects of constructive criticism on failure responses

The extant literature on interpersonal criticism suggests that relative to destructive criticism, constructive criticism significantly minimizes the injurious psychological aftermath people experience after failure. However, we propose the possibility that for some people, these psychological benefits of constructive criticism are less apparent. Specifically, we hypothesized that for people high in trait interpersonal vulnerability, a construct marked by maladaptive cognitive-emotional responses in interpersonal contexts and/or by dysfunctional relational concerns, effects of constructive (vs. destructive) criticism on reduced maladaptive appraisals will diminish, and this diminution of reduced maladaptive appraisals will predict downstream effects on worsened post-failure mood. An experiment had a college sample (N = 349) complete four instruments represented under an interpersonal vulnerability construct (IVC). Next, participants imagined failing in various domains and receiving subsequent feedback from emotionally important others. Feedback type was manipulated to typify either destructive criticism or constructive criticism. Finally, participants provided ratings of maladaptive appraisals and post-failure mood. Latent variable path modelling supported hypotheses. Effects of constructive (vs. destructive) criticism on reduced maladaptive appraisals (namely, shame proneness) diminished as IVC increased, which predicted worsened post-failure mood. Findings have implications for multidisciplinary theoretical perspectives relevant to interpersonal vulnerability and offer practical considerations for clinicians working with vulnerable clients.