Abstract
Abstract
Objective: This study explores maladaptive schemas and adverse childhood experiences as possible etiologic factors in the development of narcissistic personality traits.
Materials and Methods. This study included 285 participants aged between 20 and 61 years (M = 37.62, SD = 8.57SD = 8.57), 74.39% of whom were female. They were recruited through their psychotherapists on the basis of a diagnosis of narcissism. The data were collected on-line, through a survey based on several questionnaires: the OMNI-IV – Personality Inventory, the Young Schema Questionnaire – Short Version (YSQ-S3) and the Early Adverse Experiences Questionnaire (ACE). All data analysis was performed using R (Version 4.4.0) and a series of packages such as R-packages car (Version 3.1.2), carData (Version 3.0.5) etc.
Results. Increased scores on schemas of Defectiveness/shame, Unrelenting standards, Emotional deprivation, Approval-seeking/Recognition seeking and Entitlement/grandiosity increased the odds of study participants having narcissistic personality disorder. This study found no statistically significant correlations between early adverse experiences and narcissism, but did find significant correlations between adverse childhood experiences and some maladaptive schemas. Emotional deprivation and Defectivness/shame schemas were the best predictors of adverse childhood experiences.
Conclusions. The results of this study contribute to the understanding of the etiology of narcissism. From a clinical point of view, the findings help mental health professionals better understand the underlying core pathology associated with narcissistic personality and target specific schemes in therapy for this disorder.
Key words: early maladaptive schemas, narcissistic personality, adverse childhood experiences, narcissistic traits
Objective: This study explores maladaptive schemas and adverse childhood experiences as possible etiologic factors in the development of narcissistic personality traits.
Materials and Methods. This study included 285 participants aged between 20 and 61 years (M = 37.62, SD = 8.57SD = 8.57), 74.39% of whom were female. They were recruited through their psychotherapists on the basis of a diagnosis of narcissism. The data were collected on-line, through a survey based on several questionnaires: the OMNI-IV – Personality Inventory, the Young Schema Questionnaire – Short Version (YSQ-S3) and the Early Adverse Experiences Questionnaire (ACE). All data analysis was performed using R (Version 4.4.0) and a series of packages such as R-packages car (Version 3.1.2), carData (Version 3.0.5) etc.
Results. Increased scores on schemas of Defectiveness/shame, Unrelenting standards, Emotional deprivation, Approval-seeking/Recognition seeking and Entitlement/grandiosity increased the odds of study participants having narcissistic personality disorder. This study found no statistically significant correlations between early adverse experiences and narcissism, but did find significant correlations between adverse childhood experiences and some maladaptive schemas. Emotional deprivation and Defectivness/shame schemas were the best predictors of adverse childhood experiences.
Conclusions. The results of this study contribute to the understanding of the etiology of narcissism. From a clinical point of view, the findings help mental health professionals better understand the underlying core pathology associated with narcissistic personality and target specific schemes in therapy for this disorder.
Key words: early maladaptive schemas, narcissistic personality, adverse childhood experiences, narcissistic traits
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 477 -495 |
| Number of pages | 19 |
| Journal | Anthropological Researches and Studies |
| Issue number | 15 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2025 |
Keywords*
- early maladaptive schemas, narcissistic personality, adverse childhood experiences, narcissistic traits
Field of Science*
- 5.1 Psychology
Publication Type*
- 1.2. Scientific article included in INT1 or INT2 category journal of ERIH database
