Profiling Narcissism
Our new research finds 4 subtypes of narcissism that exist within people
The central feature of all forms of narcissism is a sense of entitlement, a belief that one deserves special privileges across many contexts in their lives. However, there are different forms of narcissism— mainly a more grandiose (“I’m the best!”) type and a more vulnerable type (“I suffer the most!”).
Most research has looked at how people differ from each other in these forms narcissism. However, in a recent study led by Skyler Maples, a psychology doctoral intern at the Federal Bureau of Prisons, we wanted to see how these two forms of narcissism co-vary within people. Applying this unique lens on narcissism we found some surprising things, and the results have even got us rethinking grandiose narcissism (without the vulnerable aspects).
Eric Dolan at PsyPost has once again done a terrific job summarizing our research so I’m going to repost their article below.
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Some narcissists might not be as confident as they seem. A new study has uncovered four distinct personality types linked to narcissism, including one that combines boldness with hidden insecurity. These individuals may act charming and self-assured, but underneath, they’re emotionally sensitive and prone to self-doubt. The findings have been published in the Journal of Research in Personality.
While much of the previous research on narcissism has focused on grandiose and vulnerable traits separately—using what’s known as a variable-centered approach—this study also applied a person-centered method to uncover how these traits combine within specific individuals. The goal was to identify distinct subtypes of narcissistic personalities and explore how these subtypes differ in terms of self-esteem, aggression, emotional stability, and openness.
The researchers were particularly interested in whether a “grandiose-vulnerable” subtype exists, in which a person simultaneously displays both outward confidence and inner insecurity. Identifying such profiles could help clarify why narcissistic traits sometimes appear contradictory and may also inform more nuanced clinical assessments.
At the heart of the study is the Narcissism Admiration and Rivalry Questionnaire (NARQ), which breaks narcissistic tendencies into two core dimensions: admiration and rivalry. Narcissistic admiration reflects assertive strategies for self-enhancement. People high in admiration want to be seen as exceptional and seek approval through charm, confidence, and social dominance. This dimension is often linked to positive traits like extroversion and high self-esteem, and it aligns closely with the concept of grandiose narcissism, which includes feelings of superiority, inflated self-worth, and a strong desire for admiration.
In contrast, narcissistic rivalry reflects a defensive, antagonistic form of narcissism that aims to protect a fragile self-image. Individuals high in rivalry tend to respond to perceived threats with hostility, devaluation of others, and heightened sensitivity to criticism. This pattern aligns with vulnerable narcissism, which is characterized by insecurity, emotional volatility, low self-esteem, and a tendency to withdraw or lash out when feeling exposed. Unlike the socially confident traits of grandiose narcissism, vulnerable narcissism often involves a more hidden or internalized distress, though it may still lead to interpersonal conflict.
“Most previous studies on narcissism have been done from a variable-centered approach, meaning that trait data are aggregated across participants and therefore the information provided is about variable associations (e.g., correlation between grandiose and vulnerable features),” explained study author Craig Neumann, a Regents Professor of Psychology at the University of North Texas.
“Many people unfortunately use variable-centered information to speculate about people (e.g., someone with elevated grandiose features will also have elevated vulnerable features). Technically, it is incorrect to assume that information about variable associations aggregated across people can be precisely applied to persons.”
“Basically, variable-centered approaches are looking to see how columns of variables in a dataset are correlated. To determine person profiles, one needs to examine if there are subgroups of people who have similar profiles across the columns of trait variables—i.e., looking for homogeneous person profiles among the rows of data in a dataset across via the different traits in the columns.”
Skyler Trace (Guillot) Maples, a psychology doctoral intern at the Federal Bureau of Prisons and first author of the study, added: “I was motivated to conduct this study because after doing my thesis on the correlates of grandiose and vulnerable narcissism, it was clear there was more work to do in the area of the subtypes of narcissism. Luckily, Dr. Neumann is well-versed on person-centered analyses and we were able to combine the two approaches (i.e., variable- and person-centered) to get some cool information regarding the relationships of vulnerable (rivalry) and grandiose (admiration) narcissism as variables, but also within profiles of individuals.”
To investigate this, the researchers used data from three large general population samples totaling more than 50,000 people. Participants completed the Narcissism Admiration and Rivalry Questionnaire along with additional questionnaires measured traits such as aggression, self-esteem, and the broader dimensions of personality.
The researchers used two complementary approaches. First, they employed a variable-centered strategy to examine how admiration and rivalry related to other psychological traits. Then they used a person-centered approach—specifically, latent profile analysis—to identify subgroups of individuals who shared similar narcissism profiles. This allowed them to ask not just how traits correlate, but what kinds of people tend to exhibit particular patterns.
“We conducted person-centered analyses via latent profile analysis to determine if there were subgroups (or subtypes) of individuals with relatively unique profiles of narcissistic features,” Neumann said. “More specifically, we were on the hunt for a subtype that displayed elevated levels of both grandiose and vulnerable features.”
Across all three samples, statistical modeling supported the idea that admiration and rivalry are two distinct dimensions. Admiration was strongly associated with traits like extroversion, charm, and high self-esteem. People high in admiration tended to see themselves positively and reported higher levels of happiness. Rivalry, by contrast, was associated with neuroticism, antagonism, low self-esteem, and higher levels of aggression. These patterns closely aligned with traditional definitions of grandiose and vulnerable narcissism, respectively.
“There’s a lot of debate in the field about what exactly constitutes the core of narcissism. We found that entitlement runs through all forms of narcissism but there are different profiles of narcissism. Some people have a grandiose sense of entitlement without scoring high in vulnerability and low self-esteem,” explained co-author Scott Barry Kaufman, a professor of psychology at Columbia University and director of the Center for Human Potential.
“However, some people score high in both a grandiose sense of entitlement and also a defensive fragile ego which seems to have the biggest implications for aggression and low well-being. I think our findings also challenge the notion that grandiose narcissism is necessarily a bad thing or a negative trait. We may need to rethink grandiose narcissism. Without the vulnerable aspect, grandiose narcissism may just be a highly adaptive agentic trait to accomplish one’s goals!”
One particularly interesting finding came from structural models showing that rivalry was more strongly related to aggression and emotional instability than admiration. Admiration had a modest association with antagonism, but not with aggression. This suggests that individuals who manage their self-image through rivalry may be more prone to emotional volatility and interpersonal conflict, while those who rely on admiration may be more socially effective or well-adjusted.
Next, the researchers identified four distinct narcissistic subtypes using person-centered analyses. These profiles emerged consistently across all three samples:
Non-narcissistic individuals, who showed low scores on both admiration and rivalry.
Subclinical vulnerable narcissists, who scored moderately on rivalry but low on admiration.
Grandiose narcissists, who scored high on admiration and low on rivalry.
Grandiose-vulnerable narcissists, who showed elevated levels on both admiration and rivalry.
“The average person should understand that narcissism, like many other psychological constructs, is dimensional,” Maples told PsyPost. “Though our diagnostic systems currently promote a categorical view, narcissism is not an all-or-nothing. In this study, we see four subtypes of people with varying degrees of narcissistic traits. That is to say that narcissistic traits are present within all people to some level, not just those that would meet a clinical diagnosis of narcissistic personality disorder. Furthermore, there are adaptive/positive things that can come out of having elevations in grandiose narcissistic traits like extroversion, higher positive self-esteem and lower negative self-esteem.”
The grandiose-vulnerable subtype stood out as particularly significant. These individuals displayed the highest levels of narcissistic traits overall, including both grandiose and vulnerable characteristics. They also reported the highest levels of both positive and negative self-esteem, as well as the highest levels of aggression. This suggests a personality pattern marked by both self-confidence and inner conflict, supporting the idea that grandiosity may serve as a psychological defense against underlying vulnerability.
Interestingly, this subtype also reported lower levels of open-mindedness and higher levels of not being open-minded, suggesting rigidity in how they process feedback from others. These individuals were more likely to be male and tended to be younger than the other subtypes, a pattern consistent with past research on narcissistic traits.
By contrast, individuals in the grandiose subtype reported high self-esteem, low negative affect, and little aggression. While they exhibited traits associated with narcissism, such as dominance and a desire for recognition, they did not appear to experience the emotional instability or interpersonal problems seen in the grandiose-vulnerable group.
The subclinical vulnerable group, on the other hand, had higher levels of neuroticism and emotional reactivity, as well as more signs of low self-esteem and defensiveness. Unlike the grandiose-vulnerable group, they lacked the social assertiveness linked to admiration, which may leave them feeling insecure without the external validation that helps prop up self-image.
The grandiose-vulnerable subtype stood out as particularly significant. These individuals displayed the highest levels of narcissistic traits overall, including both grandiose and vulnerable characteristics. They also reported the highest levels of both positive and negative self-esteem, as well as the highest levels of aggression. This suggests a personality pattern marked by both self-confidence and inner conflict, supporting the idea that grandiosity may serve as a psychological defense against underlying vulnerability.
Interestingly, this subtype also reported lower levels of open-mindedness and higher levels of not being open-minded, suggesting rigidity in how they process feedback from others. These individuals were more likely to be male and tended to be younger than the other subtypes, a pattern consistent with past research on narcissistic traits.
By contrast, individuals in the grandiose subtype reported high self-esteem, low negative affect, and little aggression. While they exhibited traits associated with narcissism, such as dominance and a desire for recognition, they did not appear to experience the emotional instability or interpersonal problems seen in the grandiose-vulnerable group.
The subclinical vulnerable group, on the other hand, had higher levels of neuroticism and emotional reactivity, as well as more signs of low self-esteem and defensiveness. Unlike the grandiose-vulnerable group, they lacked the social assertiveness linked to admiration, which may leave them feeling insecure without the external validation that helps prop up self-image.
“There are unique profiles with respect to narcissism traits, some of which we might conclude reflect more so a health self-image versus pathological grandiose narcissism,” Neumann said. “On the other hand, individuals who display both vulnerable and grandiose features of narcissism (i.e., devaluation of others, aggressivity as well as sense of grandiose specialness) likely have significant intra- (e.g., variable self-esteem) and inter-personal (e.g., not open to others) problems, include risk of reactive or proactive aggression.”
The study also found that the structure of these subtypes was consistent across different racial, ethnic, and national contexts, even though the proportions of each subtype varied. In a diverse U.S. sample, for example, more participants fell into the grandiose category—possibly reflecting cultural differences in self-presentation or identity. Across all three samples, women were more likely to fall into the non-narcissistic subtype, while men were more likely to fall into the grandiose-vulnerable group.
While the results add clarity to the study of narcissism, the authors acknowledge several limitations. All data were based on self-report questionnaires, which can be influenced by social desirability or biased self-perceptions. Although the samples were large and diverse, they came from online platforms, which may not fully represent the general population. Additionally, the findings are cross-sectional, meaning they capture personality at a single point in time.
Future research, the authors suggest, should track individuals over time to examine how narcissistic traits change in response to life events or social context. One long-term goal is to better understand how people shift between grandiose and vulnerable states—an idea supported by the “mask model” of narcissism, which proposes that grandiosity can serve as a defense against feelings of inadequacy or rejection.
“In order to get more information about the vacillations of narcissistic traits (vulnerable to grandiose and back again) within individuals, a long-term goal for this line of research would be to follow individuals over time,” Maples explained. “This way we get a better understanding of the reasons behind the switches (hypothesizing it is a self-maintenance mechanism to adapt to the ever-changing environment like put forward in Back et al., 2013) and how long the phases occur. This would help us further comprehend the poor temporal stability of narcissistic personality disorder diagnoses and appreciate the self-regulating patterns of the narcissist.”
The study, “Profiling narcissism: Evidence for grandiose-vulnerable and other subtypes,” was authored by Skyler T. Maples, Craig S. Neumann, and Scott Barry Kaufman.
Good summary, Scott. How will you make the results from this study actionable? How will the research improve lives? Is the goal to educate therapists? Or have this knowledge trickle down to the general population? These questions about actionability of insights are likely influenced by my business background, but I used to have the same thoughts when I was a Psychology undergrad at Yale. I used to think about how much studies cost (both in time and money) and the return on the investment for society.
My word, this is so compelling. Truly appreciate how you distill research for all reader levels, and it's great because I already trust you as an interpreter, which makes for a less dubious reading. The results summarized in your post make me more flexible in my dealings with people and gives me a broader, more spectrum-type view of narcissists. Thank you!