The Relation Between Adolescent Narcissism and Internalizing Problems Depends on the Conceptualization of Narcissism

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

12-1-2010

Department

Psychology

Abstract

Recent research has reported an association between narcissism in youth and a variety of externalizing behavior problems. The extent to which narcissism, conceptualized in two ways (i.e., as part of psychopathy; as a constellation of maladaptive and adaptive features), was related to internalizing problems in adolescents was examined in this study. Participants were 534 at-risk adolescents ages 16-19, attending a military-style residential program. Psychopathy-linked narcissism was positively associated with self-reported internalizing problems: however, narcissism assessed from the Narcissistic Personality Inventory for Children (NPIC: Barry, Frick, & Killian, 2003) was negatively associated with such symptoms. Perceptions of peer relationships appeared to play a role in this latter association. The implications for the understanding of youth narcissism are discussed. (C) 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Publication Title

Journal of Research in Personality

Volume

44

Issue

6

First Page

684

Last Page

690

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