Origins of narcissism in children

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Eddie BrummelmanBrad J Bushman

Abstract

Narcissism levels have been increasing among Western youth, and contribute to societal problems such as aggression and violence. The origins of narcissism, however, are not well understood. Here, we report, to our knowledge, the first prospective longitudinal evidence on the origins of narcissism in children. We compared two perspectives: social learning theory (positing that narcissism is cultivated by parental overvaluation) and psychoanalytic theory (positing that narcissism is cultivated by lack of parental warmth). We timed the study in late childhood (ages 7-12), when individual differences in narcissism first emerge. In four 6-mo waves, 565 children and their parents reported child narcissism, child self-esteem, parental overvaluation, and parental warmth. Four-wave cross-lagged panel models were conducted. Results support social learning theory and contradict psychoanalytic theory: Narcissism was predicted by parental overvaluation, not by lack of parental warmth. Thus, children seem to acquire narcissism, in part, by internalizing parents' inflated views of them (e.g., "I am superior to others" and "I am entitled to privileges"). Attesting to the specificity of this finding, self-esteem was predicted by parental warmth...Continue Reading

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Citations

Feb 3, 2015·Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology·Albert ReijntjesMatty Van der Meulen
Jun 7, 2015·Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience·David S ChesterC Nathan DeWall
Jun 11, 2015·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·David KealyJohn S Ogrodniczuk
Jun 11, 2015·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Eddie BrummelmanBrad J Bushman
Dec 7, 2019·Perspectives on Psychological Science : a Journal of the Association for Psychological Science·Stathis GrapsasJaap J A Denissen
Jun 4, 2019·European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry·Wieteke HiemstraBram Orobio de Castro
Mar 19, 2020·Journal of Personality Disorders·Robert P Drozek, Brandon T Unruh
Nov 20, 2016·The Journal of Psychology·Elizabeth Huxley, Boris Bizumic
Sep 29, 2017·Frontiers in Psychology·Emanuel JaukAljoscha C Neubauer
Jan 31, 2017·Personality and Social Psychology Review : an Official Journal of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Inc·Zlatan Krizan, Anne D Herlache
Aug 6, 2020·International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health·Gabrielle CoppolaPietro Muratori
May 20, 2020·Borderline Personality Disorder and Emotion Dysregulation·Charlotte C van SchieBrin F S Grenyer
Sep 5, 2018·Journal of Personality Disorders·Scott Barry KaufmanW Keith Campbell
Sep 16, 2020·Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine·David Ian Jeffrey
Sep 1, 2017·Child Development·Eddie BrummelmanBram Orobio de Castro
Sep 15, 2017·Child Development·Eddie Brummelman, Sander Thomaes
Apr 24, 2018·Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, and Allied Disciplines·Jeffrey HenryMichel Boivin
Jul 19, 2018·Journal of Personality·Constantine SedikidesKennon M Sheldon
Feb 12, 2019·Journal of Child and Adolescent Mental Health·Tianyuan KeMichael J Crowley
Aug 18, 2020·Child Abuse & Neglect·Aspen D Starbird, Paul A Story
Oct 20, 2018·Journal of Affective Disorders·Eddie Brummelman, Çisem Gürel
Mar 17, 2017·Annual Review of Clinical Psychology·Joshua D MillerW Keith Campbell

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