The Role of Narcissism in Aggression and Violence: A Systematic Review
Abstract
It has long been hypothesized that feelings of inferiority or low self-esteem lead individuals to aggress against those they view as being threatening. However, recent studies suggest that it is not just the level of self-esteem but stability that is relevant to understanding this process. As such, researchers have looked to related constructs, such as narcissism, in trying to understand aggressive behaviors. Narcissism is characterized by a dissociation between an unconscious sense of inadequacy and a conscious feeling of superiority. A large number of studies examining the relationship between narcissism and violence have recently been published within both clinical and student populations. This review aimed to systematically collate the findings of such studies and integrate them within current theories of violence. Electronic literature databases such as Web of Science, MEDLINE, PsychINFO, EMBASE, Cochrane databases, and LexisNexis (legal database) were searched to identify studies examining the relationship between narcissism and violence. Twenty articles were included in this review, describing 25 separate samples. Findings suggest that narcissism is relevant in understanding aggression and violence. This was consistent across both clinical and nonclinical populations and therefore does not appear to be an artifact of studying either very violent or student samples. Evidence from student samples strongly supported the association between narcissism and aggression following an ego threat, while studies using clinical samples did not examine the effect of an ego threat. These findings may have an impact on how we understand, predict, and reduce violence.
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Biographies
Sinead Lambe, BSc, MSc, DClinPsy, is a clinical psychologist working in complex adult mental health with Avon and Whiltshire National Health Service (NHS) Trust. Her clinical work focuses on trauma and the impact of childhood emotional, physical, and sexual abuse. She also works as part of a dialectical behavior therapy team. She completed her doctoral research at the University of Bath, which focused on complex adult mental health. She has had a number of papers published in peer-reviewed journals and by national and international organizations.
Catherine Hamilton-Giachritsis, AFBPsS; Health and Care Professions Council registered forensic psychologist and clinical psychologist, is a reader in psychology at the University of Bath, UK. She has varied experience in both clinical practice and academic settings. She spent several years working in Children and Family Services undertaking child/parenting assessments and providing expert witness testimony in child protection cases, as well as working with families with suspected or known child maltreatment. She also has an extensive body of research published in peer-reviewed journals and by national and international organizations. Her work focuses on child maltreatment and trauma and risk assessment, considering both victims (e.g., the impact of online sexual abuse on victims, homicidal bereavement) and offenders (e.g., harmful sexual behavior, online grooming) and always has an applied element, such that it has impact on the day-to-day life of individuals. She has undertaken international consultancy and led European and nationally funded research, working collaboratively with a variety of nongovernmental organizations and other organizations, such as the World Health Organization, the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, Escaping Victimhood and the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre.
Emily Garner, BSc, DClinPsy, is a clinical psychologist working in adult mental health within Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust. She works across crisis mental health services and early intervention in psychosis, delivering short-term interventions for acute distress and longer term therapy with a focus on Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT). She has previously worked in forensic psychology and her doctoral research, completed at the University of Bath, focused on violence.
Julian Walker, PhD, DClinPsy, BSc, CPsychol, AFBPsS, CSci, is a consultant forensic clinical psychologist, director of research and development (R&D) for Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust, and honorary research fellow at the University of Bristol. In his role as R&D director, he helped establish Bristol Health Partners and is actively involved in several health integration teams that aim to improve care pathways through research, service user involvement, and collaboration with commissioners. Clinically, he works in a service for high-risk offenders with personality disorder which he helped commission and expand as part of the National Personality Disordered Offender Strategy. He also works on payment by results for the Department of Health and was NHS England Commissioning Reference Group Chair for Forensic Pathways until April 2015. His publications include a cognitive model of violence and the Maudsley Violence Questionnaire; his primary research interests relate to personality disorder, prisons, violence, and medium secure unit outcomes. He is currently part of a national research project looking at the evaluation of the National Personality Disordered Offender Strategy.
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Article first published online: May 24, 2016
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