Narcissism, interpersonal relationships, and adaptation: Two types of narcissism in young adults

The purpose of the present paper is to classify adolescents and young adults from the viewpoint of narcissism, and to identify characteristics of their interpersonal styles and adaptation. In Study 1, 511 adolescents and young adults (mean age 19.8 years) completed the Social Phobic Tendency Scale, the Aggressive Behavior Scale, the Individual and Social PN Orientation Scales, the Narcissistic Personality Inventory-Short Version (NPI-S), and a General Health Questionnaire. In Study 2, 384 of the participants in Study 1 were described by their friends. A principal component analysis of subscales of the Narcissistic Personality Inventory-Short Version resulted in 2 principal components: one implying entire narcissism, and the other, a dominant level on the "need for attention and praise" subscale of the Inventory. The participants were then divided into 4 groups according to their scores on the 2 principal components. The results indicated that adolescents and young adults who score high on narcissism could be divided into 2 groups that have similar characteristics to the 2 types of narcissism dealt with in psychoanalytic studies.