Feldman,
Elise (1/10) Narcissistic subtypes,
anxiety, and attachment: An investigation of overt and covert narcissism and
implicit anxiety (Philip
Wong, Ph.D.; Nathan Considine, Ph.D.; Marvin Hurvich, Ph.D.)
Two subtypes of pathological narcissism
have been identified through clinical practice and research. These subtypes
share personality features including an exploitative and entitled nature and
there is preliminary evidence suggesting they differ in their experiences of
anxiety and attachment. Psychodynamic theories provide a possible rationale for
the distinct emotional experiences of these subtypes but systematic research of
these theories is lacking. The goal of this study was to examine the
relationships between narcissism and various forms of anxiety (state, trait,
implicit, and attachment-related). A diverse non-clinical sample of 106
university students completed self-report measures of grandiose (overt) and
hypersensitive (covert) narcissism, trait anxiety, and attachment. Participants
were exposed to a mood manipulation presented via headphones from a digital
audio file instructing them to recall a recent interpersonal rejection by a
significant person. State anxiety and positive and negative affect were
assessed before and after the manipulation. Participants then completed an
Implicit Association Test (IAT) for anxiety assessing the degree of association
between words related to anxiety and words related to the self. The IAT is
thought to measure an implicitly anxious self-concept, or an anxious
self-concept that is outside of one's awareness. Participants were separated
into categories of overt, covert, and low-narcissism on the basis of
narcissistic personality measures. Findings confirmed hypotheses demonstrating
that covert narcissists self-report higher state, trait, and attachment-related
anxiety than overt narcissists. These findings also replicated and extended
past research to a more ethnically and racially diverse sample than those
previously studied. In contrast to expectations, no differences were found
between groups from analyses of implicit anxiety. The study supports the claim
for distinct overt and covert subtypes of narcissism and emphasizes the need
for changes in diagnostic criteria to better inform research and clinical
treatment of narcissism. The dearth of significant findings for analyses of
implicit anxiety is discussed within the contexts of the validity of the IAT
anxiety and directions for future research.
