Men tend to be more narcissistic than women
With three decades of data from more than 475,000 participants, a new study on narcissism from the University at Buffalo School of Management reveals that men, on average, are more narcissistic than women.
Forthcoming in the journal Psychological Bulletin, the study compiled 31 years of narcissism research and found that men consistently scored higher in narcissism across multiple generations and regardless of age.
“Narcissism is associated with various interpersonal dysfunctions, including an inability to maintain healthy long-term relationships, unethical behavior and aggression,” says lead author Emily Grijalva, PhD, assistant professor of organization and human resources in the UB School of Management.
“At the same time, narcissism is shown to boost self-esteem, emotional stability and the tendency to emerge as a leader,” she says. “By examining gender differences in narcissism, we may be able to explain gender disparities in these important outcomes.”
The researchers examined more than 355 journal articles, dissertations, manuscripts and technical manuals, and studied gender differences in the three aspects of narcissism: leadership/authority, grandiose/exhibitionism and entitlement.
They found the widest gap in entitlement, suggesting that men are more likely than women to exploit others and feel entitled to certain privileges.
Narcissistic personality disorder, also known as NPD, is a personality disorder in which the individual has a distorted self image, unstable and intense emotions, is overly preoccupied with vanity, prestige, power and personal adequacy, lacks empathy, and has an exaggerated sense of superiority. NPD is closely associated with egocentrism - a personality characteristic in which people see themselves and their interests and opinions as the only ones that really matter.
People with narcissistic personality disorder are not interested in the feelings of others - they lack empathy; they are unable to feel or appreciate feelings which are not their own.
The second largest difference was in leadership/authority. “Compared with women, men exhibit more assertiveness and desire for power,” Grijalva says. “But there was no difference in the exhibitionism aspect, meaning both genders are equally likely to display vanity or self-absorption.”
In addition, the study looked at data from college students between 1990 and 2013, and found no evidence that either gender has become more narcissistic over time.
Research has shown that personality differences, like narcissism, can arise from gender stereotypes and expectations that have been ingrained over time. The authors speculate that the persistent lack of women in senior leadership roles may partially stem from the disparity between stereotypes of femininity and leadership.
“Individuals tend to observe and learn gender roles from a young age, and may face backlash for deviating from society’s expectations,” Grijalva says. “In particular, women often receive harsh criticism for being aggressive or authoritative, which creates pressure for women, more so than for men, to suppress displays of narcissistic behavior.”
What is narcissistic personality disorder?
The US National Library of Medicine describes a person with narcissistic personality disorder as having an excessive sense of self-importance, an intense preoccupation with themselves, and no empathy for others.
The term comes from a character in Greek mythology, called Narcissus. He saw his reflection in a pool of water and fell in love with it.
The Cleveland Clinic says that narcissistic personality disorder belongs to a group of conditions known as dramatic personality disorders. Afflicted people have very unstable and intense emotions and a distorted image of “self”.
However, this seeming abnormal love of self, an excessive sense of importance and superiority, combined with a preoccupation with success and power do not, in fact, reflect real self-confidence. The individual has a deep sense of insecurity. His or her self-esteem is extremely fragile.
It is common for people with narcissistic personality disorders to set unrealistic goals.
A study carried out by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry3 found that 7.7% of men and 4.8% of women develop narcissistic personality disorder (NDP) during their lifetime. The researchers also found that NPD rates are much higher among black men and women, Hispanic women, younger adults, and people who either never married or became divorced, widowed or separated.
Signs and symptoms
A symptom is something that the patient feels and describes, such as anger, pain, or dizziness, while a sign is something everybody, including the nurse or doctor, can see, such as a rash or swelling.
Below are the most common signs and symptoms found in people with narcissistic personality disorder:
An insatiable appetite for the attention of other people.
Generally prone to extreme feelings of jealousy.
Behave is if they deserve special treatment.
Commonly exaggerate their achievements, talents and importance.
Extremely sensitive.
Find it difficult to maintain healthy relationships.
Have fantasies regarding their own intelligence, success, power and good looks.
If they have to take advantage of others in order to get what they yearn for, they will without regret or conscience.
It does not take much for a person with NPD to feel rejected.
Lack empathy - empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of other people. People with NPD lack empathy and disregard other people’s feelings.
Many believe that only others - “special” people - are really able to understand their uniqueness.
May consider themselves as very skilled in romance; more skilled than anybody else.
Most people see narcissists’ goals as selfish ones.
Obsessed with themselves.
Respond to criticism with anger.
Respond to criticism with humiliation.
Respond to criticism with shame.
Seem arrogant.
Tend to seek out praise and positive reinforcement from others.
They may be perceived by others as tough-minded or without emotion.
Usually expect others to agree with them or go along with what they ask for or want blindly.
Very easily hurt.
Whatever they crave or yearn for must be “the best”.
Future research could further investigate the social, cultural or biological factors that contribute to these gender differences.
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Grijalva’s co-authors on the study were Daniel A. Newman, PhD, associate professor of psychology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Louis Tay, PhD, assistant professor of industrial/organizational psychology at Purdue University; M. Brent Donnellan, PhD, professor of social psychology at Texas A&M University; P.D. Harms, PhD, assistant professor of management at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln; Richard W. Robins, PhD, professor of psychology at the University of California, Davis; and Taiyi Yan, an undergraduate at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
The UB School of Management is recognized for its emphasis on real-world learning, community and economic impact, and the global perspective of its faculty, students and alumni. The school also has been ranked by Bloomberg Businessweek, the Financial Times, Forbes and U.S. News & World Report for the quality of its programs and the return on investment it provides its graduates.
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Matthew Biddle
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University at Buffalo
Journal
Psychological Bulletin