A Matter of Measure? Assessing the Three Dimensions of Narcissism

The Trifurcated Model of Narcissism (TriMN) has received growing attention in the scientific study of narcissistic traits, as it provides a clear and clinically useful distinction of the three core elements of narcissistic personalities: agentic extraversion (AE), narcissistic antagonism (NA), and narcissistic neuroticism (NN). So far, the Five-Factor Narcissism Inventory (FFNI) and its abbreviations-for example, the recently introduced brief form (FFNI-BF)-represent the only measures that allow for a direct and simultaneous assessment of these traits. Distinct parts of the TriMN have also been measured by other narcissism scales, however, including the Narcissistic Admiration and Rivalry Questionnaire (NARQ) or the Hypersensitive Narcissism Scale (HSNS). It remains unclear to what extent trait estimates provided by these alternative measures overlap and under which circumstances they can be used interchangeably. Here, we present a model-driven combination of NARQ and HSNS items that may serve as a valuable, economic tool to assess the three narcissism dimensions. In two studies (accumulated N = 2,266, 1,673 female, 580 male, 13 diverse), we show that the NARQ/HSNS and the FFNI-BF access virtually the same presentations of AE, NA, and NN, whereby the combined NARQ/HSNS outperforms the FFNI-BF in terms of structure, theory-consistent relations among (latent) narcissistic traits, and predictive validity with respect to personality pathology. Our research provides new insights on the assessment of narcissistic traits according to the increasingly popular TriMN and can inform future research on its dimensions.

Automated summary

The Trifurcated Model of Narcissism (TriMN) is gaining attention in the study of narcissistic traits due to its clear distinction of the three core elements of narcissistic personalities: agentic extraversion (AE), narcissistic antagonism (NA), and narcissistic neuroticism (NN). The Five-Factor Narcissism Inventory (FFNI) and its abbreviations, such as the brief form (FFNI-BF), are the only measures that assess these traits directly and simultaneously. However, other scales like the Narcissistic Admiration and Rivalry Questionnaire (NARQ) and the Hypersensitive Narcissism Scale (HSNS) also measure parts of TriMN. It is unclear to what extent these alternative measures overlap and can be used interchangeably. Our research combines NARQ and HSNS to assess the three narcissism dimensions and shows that it outperforms FFNI-BF in terms of structure, theory-consistent relations, and predictive validity. This provides insights for future research on TriMN and its dimensions.