Notes from the Underground: Seeking the top personality correlates of self-referencing.
J Pers
; 2024 Apr 23.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38650573
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE:
Self-focused language use has been frequently assumed to reflect narcissism; however, research indicates that the association between first-person singular pronouns (i.e., "I-talk") and grandiose narcissism is negligible.METHOD:
To extend this literature, we progressively identify vulnerable narcissism and rumination as positive correlates of I-talk in five studies (valid Ns = 211, 475, 1253, 289, 1113).RESULTS:
The first study revealed positive correlates of I-talk suggestive of vulnerable narcissism. The second study showed more directly that vulnerable narcissism was a positive correlate but that this association was attributable to shared variance with neuroticism. The third study, a preregistered effort, replicated and extended the results of the second study. The fourth and fifth studies focused on rumination in a preregistered manner.CONCLUSIONS:
All the studies point to a clear distinction While grandiose narcissism is negligibly related to I-talk, vulnerable narcissism is positively related to I-talk; moreover, rumination is a robust predictor of I-talk. A research synthesis revealed the following constructs significantly capture I-talk depression (r = 0.10), neuroticism (r = 0.15), rumination (r = 0.14), and vulnerable narcissism (r = 0.12). The association between I-talk and neuroticism was partially mediated by rumination, providing a testable candidate mechanism for neuroticism interventions.
Full text:
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Database:
MEDLINE
Language:
En
Journal:
J Pers
Year:
2024
Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
United States