A few days ago, I wrote a YOU CAN blog post titled “Narcissism may have some previously unrecognized positive aspects,” based on a new study titled “The positive impact of narcissism on depressive symptoms through mental toughness: Narcissism may be a dark trait, but it helps us see the world less gray,” published November 1 in the journal European Psychiatry. The gist of this study is that “subclinical narcissism”—which corresponds to the “normal” range of the Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI) and is not a personality disorder like narcissistic personality disorder—is associated with a wide range of positive outcomes in people’s lives.
The basic hypothesis put forward by Costas Papageorgiou and colleagues in this paper is that subclinical narcissism (SN) is a complex, multifaceted personality trait that includes a unique mix of individual characteristics associated with narcissism and that fall on a spectrum.
The authors emphasize that narcissism in itself is neither “good” nor “bad” and that if someone does not have clinical Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) there are healthy doses of narcissism on the spectrum that are associated with a person having more openness to experience (OE) and fewer depressive symptoms. The “secret sauce” that seems to act as a catalyst for the subclinical narcissist to use their narcissism to create an upward spiral is strong mental toughness (MT).
The most recent investigation into the positive effects of subclinical narcissism was by Papageorgiou et al. A study found that “healthy” amounts of narcissism are associated with adolescents demonstrating greater mental toughness and performing better in school. It appears that mental toughness can lead to a chain reaction where increased MT is associated with more optimistic appraisals of “challenge/threat” and an explanatory style of seeing adversity and obstacles as “opportunities for growth.”
In addition, once a healthy dose of subclinical narcissism has kicked in, SN appears to fuel an “I got this!” mindset. So-called “subclinical narcissists” tend to be more open to experience and see the world through more optimistic (or rose-colored) glasses. In theory, the perfect combination of SN, MT, and OE seems to create a winning formula for reducing someone’s chances of developing depression. Based on my own life experience, this hypothesis seems to hold true.
Non-clinical narcissism is associated with self-esteem and a “Yes! Come on, I’ll do it!” mindset
In my first blog post about the positive effects of subclinical narcissism, I intentionally avoided using any first-person pronouns like “I, me, or mine.” In this next post, I’ve decided to share my personal story of discovering the power of having a healthy dose of “subclinical narcissism” as a teenager and include a first-person story that (hopefully) brings this research to life in a real-world context.
I also want to share some findings from the Narcissistic Personality Inventory for educational purposes that may resonate with you. Technically, we are all narcissists to some degree; that’s not necessarily a bad thing!
I recently completed the NPI’s online questionnaire, “Character, Leadership, and Self-Esteem,” and found the results to be astonishing. The list from the NPI page below is attributed to R. Chris Fraley of the Department of Psychology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for educational purposes only and categorizes different aspects of narcissism under seven concepts:
Authority: This trait refers to a person’s leadership and power skills. People who score high on authority like to be in charge. At the extreme ends of this trait, they like to gain power for power’s sake.
Entitlement: This trait refers to the extent to which people feel the world owes them preferential treatment or the extent to which people feel entitled to something (e.g., praise, appreciation, attention).
Exhibitionism: This trait refers to a person’s need to be the center of attention, and their willingness to ensure that they are the center of attention. At the extreme high end of this trait, a person may try to become the center of attention at the expense of the needs of others.
Exploitativeness: This trait refers to a person’s willingness to exploit others in order to meet their needs or goals.
Self-sufficiency: This trait refers to the extent to which a person is self-sufficient. People who are highly self-sufficient rely on themselves more than others to achieve their goals. At the high end of this trait, people deny the role of others in helping them achieve their goals.
Superiority: This trait refers to whether a person feels they are better than others.
Vanity: This trait refers to a person’s arrogance—excessive pride or admiration for their appearance or accomplishments.
Although this test is for educational purposes only, my overall NPI score was 19 out of 40. Clearly, like everyone else, I have narcissistic traits. What was most interesting to me in analyzing my NPI test results was that my self-sufficiency scores were off the charts and increased my overall score. This makes sense based on the way I suspect that subclinical narcissism has had a positive impact on my life; and the ways I suspect that SN can be beneficial in your life as well.
As a side note: I chose a goldfish jumping from a small bowl to a larger bowl as the teaser image for this post because believing you can jump to being a “small fish in a big pond” requires a sense of self-sufficiency and confidence associated with subclinical narcissism.
One reason Papageorgiou et al.’s recent findings resonate with me on a personal level is that when I was a 16-year-old gay teen, I had a major depressive episode (MDE) that was directly linked to feelings of worthlessness and self-loathing. I felt like my life didn’t matter. I hated everything about myself. On the spectrum of non-specific narcissistic traits, I would have scored close to an absolute zero on a scale of 0 to 40. As a closeted teen, I felt like a total loser and didn’t have a narcissistic bone in my body. Again, we all need healthy doses of narcissism to feel good about ourselves.
When I think back to the “spark” that pulled me out of my clinical depression as a teenager—it was seeing Madonna perform live at a small Boston nightclub in 1983 (before she was famous) when I was 17. More specifically, it was the combination of joie de vivre, boldness, openness, and the infectious joy I got from dancing to “Madonna: The First Album.” This music inspired me to start running and become a long-distance runner.
Running changed my life and gave me the courage to come out of the closet. The daily act of lacing up my sneakers and going for a run changed my brain in ways that reduced my depressive symptoms and boosted my self-esteem. We all know that running hurts sometimes and can be a bit of a “suffering party.” However, pushing myself to finish a long run on a daily basis strengthened my mental toughness and pushed my life trajectory away from self-loathing and toward a path of healthy “subclinical narcissism.” Through the lens of the positive effects of subclinical narcissism hypothesized by Costas Papageorgiou: It makes sense to me based on anecdotal life experience that these five factors are interconnected: (1) subclinical narcissism, (2) mental toughness, (3) openness to experience, (4) viewing obstacles as doable “challenges,” and (5) fewer depressive symptoms.
In closing, I’ve put together a playlist of songs that have reinforced my “non-clinical narcissism” in positive ways over the years. Music is without a doubt the most effective tool I know for keeping me mentally strong. Especially when I’m feeling overwhelmed and weak (which I do sometimes). I hope watching some of these videos will fill you with a sense of “seize the moment” and enough non-clinical narcissism to say, “Yes! Go on. I’ll do it!”
