Narcissism, Self-Esteem, and the Positivity of Self-Views: Two Portraits of Self-Love

TLDR

Narcissists rate themselves higher on agentic traits but not on communal traits, whereas high‑self‑esteem individuals rate themselves higher on both agentic and communal traits. The study tested whether narcissism and high self‑esteem are each associated with positive self‑views in different self‑domains. Across three studies, narcissists showed positivity mainly on agentic traits and in comparisons with partners, while high‑self‑esteem participants displayed broad positivity on both agentic and communal traits.

Abstract

The authors hypothesized that both narcissism and high self-esteem are associated with positive self-views but each is associated with positivity in different domains of the self. Narcissists perceive themselves as better than average on traits reflecting an agentic orientation (e.g., intellectual skills, extraversion) but not on those reflecting a communal orientation (e.g., agreeableness, morality). In contrast, high-self-esteem individuals perceive themselves as better than average both on agentic and communal traits. Three studies confirmed the hypothesis. In Study 1, narcissists rated themselves as extraverted and open to experience but not as more agreeable or emotionally stable. High-self-esteem individuals rated themselves highly on all of these traits except openness. In Study 2, narcissists (but not high-self-esteem individuals) rated themselves as better than their romantic partners. In Study 3, narcissists rated themselves as more intelligent, but not more moral, than the average person. In contrast, high-self-esteem individuals viewed themselves as more moral and more intelligent.