Impact of narcissism on self-concept

Pages: 1227-1231
Harprit Kaur and Kavneet Kaur (Department of Psychology, Punjabi University, Patiala, Punjab)

Narcissism has always been seen in a negative light by theorists as well as layman. It has always been portrayed as acting negatively in a person’s life, negatively affecting his well-being and psychological health. A lot of confusion and controversy surrounds the question whether trait narcissism necessarily breeds dysfunctional and maladaptive behavior or whether people with trait narcissism can also lead a functional and psychologically healthy life. Self-concept also called self- construction; self-identity or self-perspective is a collection of beliefs and schemas about one self. Self-concept is undoubtedly an important construct in social sciences and is fundamental to psychological well being. It serves as an important mediating factor that facilitates the achievement of other desirable psychological, behavioural and educational outcomes that underpin human potential. The present study attempts to explore what type of self-concept do Narcissists and Non-Narcissists develop over the course of their development and does Narcissism have any influence on an individual’s Self-Concept. A sample of 305 adults was collected from different areas of Punjab and were administered the Narcissistic Personality Inventory to classify them into two groups of Narcissists and Non-Narcissists. Both the groups were then administered Six Factor Self-Concept Scale and the scores were rendered to t analysis. The results were surprising; suggesting Narcissists have Amore positive self-concept and scored higher than the Non-Narcissists on the Agentic sub-scales of task accomplishment, power, giftedness and scored lower on vulnerability. These results serve to bust the myth that Narcissists are mal adaptive and mal adjusted individuals.