Separating Narcissism From Self-Esteem

Eddie Brummelman*, Sander Thomaes, Constantine Sedikides

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Narcissism is a personality trait characterized by a sense of superiority and a desire for respect and admiration from others. A common belief, both in psychology and in popular culture, is that narcissism represents a form of excessive self-esteem. Psychologists, including ourselves, have labeled narcissism as “an exaggerated form of high self-esteem,” “inflated self-esteem,” and “defensive high self-esteem.” We review research that challenges this belief by showing that narcissism differs markedly from self-esteem in its phenotype, its consequences, its development, and its origins. Drawing on emerging developmental-psychological evidence, we propose a distinction between narcissism and self-esteem that is based on the divergent socialization experiences that give rise to them. This proposal clarifies previous findings, stimulates theory development, and creates opportunities for intervention to concurrently raise self-esteem and curtail narcissism from an early age.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)8-13
Number of pages6
JournalCurrent Directions in Psychological Science
Volume25
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Feb 2016

Keywords

  • development
  • intervention
  • narcissism
  • self-esteem
  • socialization

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