New study reveals link between narcissism and aggression.
In the realm of intimate partner abuse, the connection between narcissism and aggression is at play. The narcissist regards himself or herself as superior, sees others only as inferior, and needs to orchestrate a relational experience in which their partner is made to feel inferior. The means to doing so often involve verbal or physical aggression. According to a recent research study from Ohio State University, narcissism is linked with aggression. Knowing that a narcissist may become verbally or physically aggressive, the message is clear—to avoid hurt and injury in an intimate relationship, one should avoid narcissists.
In a recent comprehensive analysis of 437 studies from around the world, narcissism showed up as an important risk factor for both aggression and violence. In fact, the link between narcissism and aggression was identified in all dimensions of narcissism and with various types of aggression. It is noteworthy that the results were similar regardless of the age, gender, or country of residence of the participants (Kjaervik, 2021).
Defining Narcissism
The term narcissism comes from a Greek myth in which the character Narcissus falls in love with his own image that’s reflected in the calm water. He comes to show disdain and contempt for those who fall in love with him.
Narcissism is identified by an excessive sense of self-importance, with the key factor being entitlement. Two components of narcissism include grandiosity with overblown self-esteem and “vulnerability” with low self-esteem but still holding beliefs of being more important than others. Both types were found linked to aggression. The types of aggression that narcissism was related to included physical, verbal, bullying (direct or indirect), and displaced aggression onto innocent targets (Kjaervik, 2021).
Bushman, co-author of the study, points out that the study revealed that higher levels of narcissism are related to more aggression even before reaching the level of narcissism that’s currently recognized as pathological—the malignant narcissist.
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