Aggression among offenders: the complex interplay by grandiose narcissism, spitefulness, and impulsivity

Impulsivity seems closely related to both narcissism and spitefulness as a potential common pathway by which these pathological personality traits lead to violence. We administered the Aggression Questionnaire (AQ), the Pathological Narcissism Inventory, the Spitefulness Scale, and the Impulsive Behavior Scale Short Form to a sample of individuals convicted of violent offenses (n = 182) and a sample of community participants (n = 203). Hierarchical regression analysis of the convicted sample showed that spitefulness predicted AQ scores positively and significantly beyond the roles of both pathological narcissism and impulsivity. Finally, mediation analyses showed that impulsivity partially mediated the relationships between aggression and both grandiose narcissism and spitefulness. Our results support the hypothesis that spitefulness plays an important role in the prediction of aggressiveness. Finally, impulsivity seems to be a central common variable that explains the relationship between pathological personality traits and aggressive behavior among individuals convicted of violent offenses.