Controversies in Narcissism Miller, Joshua D; Lynam, Donald R; Hyatt, Courtland S ...
Annual review of clinical psychology,
05/2017, Volume:
13, Issue:
1
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
There has been a surge in interest in and research on narcissism and narcissistic personality disorder (NPD). Despite or because of this increased attention, there are several areas of substantial ...debate that surround the construct, including descriptions of grandiose and vulnerable dimensions or variants, questions regarding the existence of a consensual description, central versus peripheral features of narcissism, distinctions between normal and pathological narcissism, possible etiological factors, the role of self-esteem in narcissism, where narcissism should be studied, how it can be assessed, and its representation in diagnostic nosologies. We suggest that a failure to distinguish between grandiose (i.e., overtly immodest, self-centered, entitled, domineering) and vulnerable (e.g., self-centered, distrustful, neurotic, introverted) presentations of narcissism has led to a less cohesive and coherent literature and that trait-based models of personality and personality disorder can bring greater clarity to many of these important debates.
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CMK, FFLJ, NUK, UL, UM, UPUK
Effect sizes are commonly interpreted using heuristics established by Cohen (e.g., small: r = .1, medium r = .3, large r = .5), despite mounting evidence that these guidelines are mis-calibrated to ...the effects typically found in psychological research. This study's aims were to 1) describe the distribution of effect sizes across multiple instruments, 2) consider factors qualifying the effect size distribution, and 3) identify examples as benchmarks for various effect sizes. For aim one, effect size distributions were illustrated from a large, diverse sample of 9/10-year-old children. This was done by conducting Pearson's correlations among 161 variables representing constructs from all questionnaires and tasks from the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development Study® baseline data. To achieve aim two, factors qualifying this distribution were tested by comparing the distributions of effect size among various modifications of the aim one analyses. These modified analytic strategies included comparisons of effect size distributions for different types of variables, for analyses using statistical thresholds, and for analyses using several covariate strategies. In aim one analyses, the median in-sample effect size was .03, and values at the first and third quartiles were .01 and .07. In aim two analyses, effects were smaller for associations across instruments, content domains, and reporters, as well as when covarying for sociodemographic factors. Effect sizes were larger when thresholding for statistical significance. In analyses intended to mimic conditions used in "real-world" analysis of ABCD data, the median in-sample effect size was .05, and values at the first and third quartiles were .03 and .09. To achieve aim three, examples for varying effect sizes are reported from the ABCD dataset as benchmarks for future work in the dataset. In summary, this report finds that empirically determined effect sizes from a notably large dataset are smaller than would be expected based on existing heuristics.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
A robust literature has emerged on the Dark Triad (DT) of personality—Machiavellianism (MACH), psychopathy, and narcissism. Questions remain as to whether MACH and psychopathy are distinguishable and ...whether MACH's empirical and theoretical networks are consistent. In Study 1 (N = 393; MTurk research participants), factor analyses were used to compare two‐factor (MACH and psychopathy combined + narcissism) and three‐factor models, with both fitting the data equally well. In Studies 1 and 2 (N = 341; undergraduate research participants), DT scores were examined in relation to a variety of external criteria, including self‐ and informant ratings of personality, adverse developmental experiences, and psychopathological symptoms/behaviors. In both studies, MACH and psychopathy manifested nearly identical empirical profiles and both were significantly related to disinhibitory traits thought to be antithetical to MACH. In Study 3 (N = 36; expert raters), expert ratings of the Five‐Factor Model traits prototypical of MACH were collected and compared with empirically derived profiles. Measures of MACH yielded profiles that were inconsistent with the prototypical expert‐rated profile due to their positive relations with a broad spectrum of impulsivity‐related traits. Ultimately, measures of psychopathy and MACH appear to be measuring the same construct, and MACH assessments fail to capture the construct as articulated in theoretical descriptions.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Similarity between narcissism and self-esteem seems intuitive, as both capture positive perceptions of the self. In the current undertaking, we provide a broad comparison of the nomological networks ...of grandiose narcissism and explicit self-esteem. Pooling data from 11 existing samples (N = 4711), we compared the relations of narcissism and self-esteem to developmental experiences, individual differences, interpersonal functioning, and psychopathology. Both constructs are positively related to agentic traits and assertive interpersonal approaches, but differ in relation to agreeableness/communion. Self-esteem emerged as a wholly adaptive construct negatively associated with internalizing psychopathology and generally unrelated to externalizing behaviors. Unlike self-esteem, narcissism was related to callousness, grandiosity, entitlement, and demeaning attitudes towards others that likely partially explain narcissism's links to maladaptive outcomes.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Although covarying for potential confounds or nuisance variables is common in psychological research, relatively little is known about how the inclusion of covariates may influence the relations ...between psychological variables and indices of brain structure. In Part 1 of the current study, we conducted a descriptive review of relevant articles from the past two years of NeuroImage in order to identify the most commonly used covariates in work of this nature. Age, sex, and intracranial volume were found to be the most commonly used covariates, although the number of covariates used ranged from 0 to 14, with 37 different covariate sets across the 68 models tested. In Part 2, we used data from the Human Connectome Project to investigate the degree to which the addition of common covariates altered the relations between individual difference variables (i.e., personality traits, psychopathology, cognitive tasks) and regional gray matter volume (GMV), as well as the statistical significance of values associated with these effect sizes. Using traditional and random sampling approaches, our results varied widely, such that some covariate sets influenced the relations between the individual difference variables and GMV very little, while the addition of other covariate sets resulted in a substantially different pattern of results compared to models with no covariates. In sum, these results suggest that the use of covariates should be critically examined and discussed as part of the conversation on replicability in structural neuroimaging. We conclude by recommending that researchers pre-register their analytic strategy and present information on how relations differ based on the inclusion of covariates.
•We investigated the use of covariates in structural MRI studies on psychological variables.•Our results suggest that the use of covariates can influence results substantially.•We encourage neuroimaging researchers to pre-register their intended analyses.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Despite the important functional role of the amygdala and hippocampus in socioemotional functioning, there have been limited adequately powered studies testing how the structure of these regions ...relates to putatively relevant personality traits such as neuroticism. Additionally, recent advances in MRI analysis methods provide unprecedented accuracy in measuring these structures and enable segmentation into their substructures. Using the new FreeSurfer amygdala and hippocampus segmentation pipelines with the full Human Connectome Project sample (N = 1105), the current study investigated whether the morphometry of these structures is associated with the five-factor model (FFM) personality traits in a sample of relatively healthy young adults. Drawing from prior findings, the following hypotheses were tested: 1) amygdala and hippocampus gray matter volume would be associated with neuroticism, 2) CA2/3 and dentate gyrus would account for the relationship of the hippocampus with neuroticism, and 3) amygdala gray matter volume would be inversely associated with extraversion. Exploratory analyses were conducted investigating potential associations between all of the FFM traits and the structure of the hippocampus and amygdala and their subregions. Despite some previous positive findings of whole amygdala and hippocampus with personality traits and related psychopathology (e.g., depression), the current results indicated no relationships between the any of the brain regions and the FFM personality traits. Given the large sample and utilization of sophisticated analytic methodology, the current study suggests no association of amygdala and hippocampus morphometry with major domains of personality.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is linked to negative relationship outcomes, but the relational processes that link specific PTSD symptoms to these outcomes over granular periods are not well ...understood. The current study used a daily diary methodology to investigate the associations between specific PTSD symptoms (i.e., anger, avoidance, reexperiencing, hyperarousal, and numbing) and proximal indices of relationship functioning (i.e., accommodation behaviors, disclosure, intimacy). Participants were members of 64 couples, each comprising a male service member (SM) and female romantic partner (RP), who completed daily assessments of PTSD symptoms and indices of relationship functioning for 2 weeks. The results suggest a somewhat unique role of anger on relationship dynamics: Although mean levels of PTSD symptom clusters were associated with negative relationship outcomes at the bivariate level, daily fluctuations in anger were uniquely related to accommodation behaviors and SM‐ and RP‐reported intimacy in multilevel models, Bs = −0.08–0.50). These findings highlight the importance of considering the differential role of specific PTSD symptoms, like anger, in dyadic interventions for PTSD; several strategies for doing so in the context of contemporary evidence‐based treatments are discussed.
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BFBNIB, DOBA, FZAB, GIS, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Objective: In the current meta-analysis, we conducted a quantitative review of the relations between laboratory aggression and trait-based personality constructs. Specifically, we investigated the ...relations between laboratory aggression and traits from the predominant model of general personality (Big Five/five factor model FFM), as well as pathological personality constructs including psychopathy, narcissism, impulsivity, and sadism. Method: We used multiple article retrieval strategies, including searches of PsycINFO, reference review, and e-mailing relevant society listservs. Random-effects models were used to estimate the population mean Pearson's r between the personality variables and laboratory aggression. Results: Our search yielded 54 usable studies containing 123 effect sizes. Random-effects models suggest that psychopathy, narcissism, sadism, and low FFM agreeableness are significant predictors of laboratory aggression with small-to-moderate effect sizes. Impulsivity and FFM openness also showed relations that did not overlap with zero, though they were smaller in magnitude. Conclusions: Traits related to aggression outside of the laboratory also appear to be related to aggression in the laboratory. Suggestions are made for future research in this area, including an emphasis on methodological rigor.
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CEKLJ, FFLJ, NUK, ODKLJ, PEFLJ, UPUK
Abstract
Objective
We sought to factor analyze a broad array of aggression measures to identify a comprehensive, coherent factor structure for this construct.
Background
Measures and models of trait ...aggression have multiplied to the point of incoherence.
Method
In Study 1, a diverse sample of 922 undergraduates completed a battery of items acquired from 42 self‐report aggression questionnaires. In Study 2, we administered a curated item pool to another diverse sample of 1447 undergraduates, alongside criterion measures.
Results
We curated an initial item pool of 734 items down to 289 items that exhibited sufficient variability, were not redundant with other items, and possessed strong loadings onto a central ‘trait aggression’ factor. These remaining items were best characterized by a six‐factor structure, which captured relational, angry, violent, retaliatory, intimate partner, and alcohol forms of aggression. We estimated their hierarchical structure, correlations with their original aggression scales, Five Factor Model trait dimensions, impulsivity facets, and found them to be robust to gender composition and the inclusion of alcohol‐naive and intimate‐partner‐naive participants.
Conclusions
This factor structure mostly supported widely‐accepted models of aggressive personality that focus on its overt and relational forms and reactive functions, though proactive aggression only loosely emerged as a distinct entity. We retained the final items as the Comprehensive Aggression Scale (CAS).
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Competitive reaction time tasks (CRTTs) have been used widely in social science research, but recent criticism has been directed at the flexible quantification strategies used with this methodology. ...A recent review suggests that over 150 different quantification strategies have been used in this literature, and there is evidence to suggest that different operationalizations can affect the results and interpretations of experiments using CRTTs. In the current investigation, we reanalyze data from four existing samples from two different sites (total N = 600) to examine how the relations between a range of personality traits and aggression vary based on how aggression is operationalized. Our results suggest that there is a modest degree of heterogeneity in effect size and direction for these relations, and that effect size and direction were most consistent for traits more generally related to lab aggression (e.g., psychopathy, low Five‐Factor Model agreeableness). In addition, profile matching analyses suggest that different operationalizations yield empirical correlates that are quite similar to one another, even when quantifying absolute rather than relative similarity. These results were consistent across site, methodology, and type of sample, suggesting that these issues are likely generalizable across most labs using CRTTs. We conclude with suggestions for future directions, particularly emphasizing the need for adequately‐powered samples, and for researchers to preregister a plan for how CRTT data will be analyzed.
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BFBNIB, DOBA, FZAB, GIS, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
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