Narcissistic Subtypes and Contingent Self‐Esteem: Do All Narcissists Base Their Self‐Esteem on the Same Domains?
Abstract
ABSTRACT It has been suggested that there are two forms of narcissism: a grandiose subtype and a vulnerable subtype. Although these forms of narcissism share certain similarities, it is believed that these subtypes may differ in the domains upon which their self‐esteem is based. To explore this possibility, the present study examined the associations between these narcissistic subtypes and domain‐specific contingencies of self‐worth. The results show that vulnerable narcissism was positively associated with contingencies of self‐worth across a variety of domains. In contrast, the associations between grandiose narcissism and domain‐specific contingencies of self‐worth were more complex and included both positive and negative relationships. These results provide additional support for the distinction between grandiose and vulnerable narcissism by showing that the domains of contingent self‐esteem associated with grandiose narcissism may be more limited in scope than those associated with vulnerable narcissism.
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Vulnerable narcissism and self-esteem are substantially negatively related (e.g., r = -0.57, r = -.45, r = -.32).
“Empirically, vulnerable narcissism and self-esteem are substantially negatively related to one another, e.g., r = -0.57(Barnett & Womack 2015), r = -.45 (Miller et al. 2010a), and r = -.32 (Zeigler-Hill et al. 2008).”
From Controversies in Narcissism (2017) · cites this paper as Zeigler-Hill et al. 2008
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- Authors
- Zeigler‐Hill, V., Clark, C. B., & Pickard, J. D.
- Affiliations
- University of Southern Mississippi (US)
- Corresponding author
- Zeigler‐Hill, Virgil
- Venue
- Journal of Personality
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2008-07-08
- Volume
- 76
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 753-774
- ISSN
- 0022-3506 (ISSN-L)
- 1467-6494
- OpenAlex
- W2141779547
- Cited by
- 219
- References
- 15
- Citations by year
- 2026: 9 · 2025: 12 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 11 · 2022: 16 · 2021: 20 · 2020: 21 · 2019: 14 · 2018: 15 · 2017: 15 · 2016: 11 · 2015: 13 · 2014: 7 · 2013: 10 · 2012: 9
- FWCI
- 10.07
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Personality (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Aquila Digital Community (University of Southern Mississippi) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Personality Traits and Psychology
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Emotions and Moral Behavior
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Personality Disorders and Psychopathology
- Keywords
- narcissism, grandiose narcissism, vulnerable narcissism, contingent self-esteem
- MeSH terms
- Defense Mechanisms, Humans, Internal-External Control, Interpersonal Relations, Narcissism, Personality Disorders, Personality Inventory, Psychiatric Status Rating Scales, Self Concept, Social Perception
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