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Cited by 221Personality Traits and PsychologyAttachment and Relationship DynamicsEvolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior

Narcissism and romantic relationships: The differential impact of narcissistic admiration and rivalry.

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Wurst, Stefanie N., Gerlach, Tanja M., Dufner, Michael, Rauthmann, John F., Grosz, Michael P., Küfner, Albrecht C. P., Denissen, Jaap J. A., Back, Mitja D.·2017·Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
DOI 10.1037/pspp0000113
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Abstract

Narcissism is known to be related to romantic success in short-term contexts (dating, early stage relationships) but also to problems in long-term committed relationships. We propose that these diverging romantic outcomes of narcissism can be explained by differential associations with agentic versus antagonistic dimensions of grandiose narcissism: Narcissistic Admiration and Rivalry. Both dimensions serve the central narcissistic goal of gaining and maintaining a grandiose self-view, but do so by different processes: Admiration is characterized by the tendency to promote the positivity of one's self-view by seeking social admiration (assertive self-enhancement). Rivalry is characterized by the tendency to protect oneself from a negative self-view by derogating others (antagonistic self-protection). Across 7 studies (total N = 3,560) using diverse measures and methodological approaches (self-, peer, and partner reports, as well as interpersonal perception measures in video-based studies, face-to-face laboratory encounters, and online surveys), we show that the short-term romantic appeal associated with narcissism is primarily attributable to the dimension of Admiration, whereas the long-term romantic problems associated with narcissism are primarily attributable to the dimension of Rivalry. These results highlight the utility of a 2-dimensional reconceptualization of grandiose narcissism for explaining its heterogeneous romantic outcomes. The findings further underscore the idea that different facets of personality traits might impact different aspects of romantic relationship quality, depending on the stage of the relationship. Such a more nuanced view increases the predictive validity of personality traits in social relationship research. (PsycINFO Database Record

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  • Narcissists are more likely to choose relationships that elevate their status over relationships that cultivate affiliation.

    “Narcissists are more likely to choose relationships that elevate their status over relationships that cultivate affiliation. For example, narcissists are keener on gaining new partners than on establishing close relationships with existing ones (Wurst et al., 2017).”

    From The "Why" and "How" of Narcissism: A Process Model of Narcissistic Status Pursuit (2020) · cites this paper as Wurst et al., 2017

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Authors
Wurst, S. N., Gerlach, T. M., Dufner, M., Rauthmann, J. F., Grosz, M. P., Küfner, A. C. P., Denissen, J. J. A., & Back, M. D.
Affiliations
  • University of Münster (DE)
  • University of Göttingen (DE)
  • Leipzig University (DE)
  • Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (DE)
  • University of Tübingen (DE)
  • Tilburg University (NL)
ORCID
Venue
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
Publisher
American Psychological Association (APA)
Published
2017-02
Volume
112
Issue
2
Pages
280-306
ISSN
  • 0022-3514 (ISSN-L)
  • 1939-1315
DOI
10.1037/pspp0000113
OpenAlex
W2509403056
Cited by
221
References
118
Citations by year
2026: 19 · 2025: 18 · 2024: 30 · 2023: 19 · 2022: 22 · 2021: 25 · 2020: 26 · 2019: 23 · 2018: 27 · 2017: 12
FWCI
27.71
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
cc-by
Locations
  • Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (publishedVersion)
  • Research portal (Tilburg University) (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) (submittedVersion)
  • GRO (submittedVersion, cc-by)
Funders
German Research Foundation (BA 3731/2-1, BA 3731/6-1)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Personality Traits and Psychology
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Attachment and Relationship Dynamics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior
Keywords
grandiose narcissism, narcissistic admiration, narcissistic rivalry, romantic relationships, self-enhancement, self-protection, relationship quality, relationship stages, interpersonal perception
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Female, Humans, Interpersonal Relations, Male, Middle Aged, Narcissism, Personality, Self Concept, Sexual Behavior, Sexual Partners, Social Perception, Young Adult

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