Narcissism: A social-developmental perspective

Narcissism is characterized by a pervasive sense of grandiosity and disdain, and by a strong need to be validated by others. This chapter provides an integrative review of current knowledge of narcissism, relying both on the social-personality and developmental literatures. By adopting an integrative social-developmental perspective, the authors seek to understand not only the core of narcissism, but also its diverse manifestations across individuals, contexts, cultures, and the life course. Moreover, the authors also seek to understand its origins: what antecedents explain why some individuals are more narcissistic than others? In doing so, it illustrates how research at the intersection of social-personality and developmental psychology helps address some of the most pressing contemporary issues about narcissism. The core manifestations of narcissism are self-enhancement, need for admiration, and adversarial interpersonal orientation. Even if narcissism has a common core, there is evidence that it is a two-dimensional personality constellation. Narcissists exhibit paradoxical characteristics. They feel superior to others, but also crave others' attention and admiration. Relatively little is known about the etiology and development of narcissism, and yet theoretical models exist and empirical evidence is beginning to emerge