New research from Michigan State University challenges the popular assumption that narcissists gradually damage their relationships over time.
The study used longitudinal data to track over 5,000 couples for up to six years. Participants completed questionnaires that measured two dimensions of narcissism: narcissistic admiration and narcissistic rivalry.
“Narcissists have two different ways to maintain their inflated positive self-perceptions,” said Gwendolyn Seidman, lead author of the study and associate professor in MSU’s Department of Psychology. “They can puff themselves up by trying to impress others (narcissistic admiration) or they can put other people down to show they are superior to them (narcissistic rivalry).”