Two shades of narcissism and their associations with defense mechanisms, mentalization, and social mentalities

Introduction: To date, the understanding of narcissism, its variants and the underlying cognitive, emotional, motivational and behavioral processes is still limited. Recently, a model that distinguishes two dimensions of grandiose narcissism - admiration and rivalry - has been proposed. Admiration is characterized by selfenhancement strategies, such as the pursuit of uniqueness, grandiose fantasies, and fascination, while rivalry is characterized by self-defensive processes, such as the pursuit of supremacy, devaluation of others, and aggression. This study aimed to investigate, in a nonclinical sample, the relationship between these dimensions and different aspects of individual mental functioning, such as defense mechanisms, mentalization and social mentality, to shed light on the intra- and interpersonal dynamics of narcissism. Methods: 478 participants (309 M, 169 F; ages 18 to 30) completed an online survey including the Narcissistic Admiration and Rivalry Questionnaire, the Defense Mechanism Rating Scales Self-Report30, the Reflective Functioning Questionnaire, the Social Mentalities Scale. Pearson correlations and stepwise multiple regression analyses were performed to investigate the relationships between the dimensions of narcissism and the other variables. Results: Overall, higher levels of narcissistic traits were strongly associated with lower overall defensive functioning, poor levels of mentalization, and high agonism. Notably, lower minor image-distorting defenses showed strong correlations with both dimensions of narcissism, but rivalry was also predicted by acting defenses. Admiration and rivalry traits were associated with lower certainty of one's own and others' mental states; in particular, rivalry traits were closely associated with hypomentalization. Finally, both rivalry and admiration showed significant correlations with agonism, and rivalry traits were predicted by lower degree of prosociality. Discussion: The narcissistic traits of rivalry and admiration appear to be related to distinct features of mental functioning. The need for a deeper understanding of the intra- and interpersonal processes underlying the different dimensions of narcissism is critical. Clinical implications on the relational dynamics that develop with individuals with elevated narcissistic traits are addressed and discussed in light of these findings.