Abstract
Introduction
The purpose of the current study is to elucidate the relationships between narcissistic personality traits and primary and secondary capacities of individuals within the context of positive psychotherapy.
Methods
In the study conducted in 2016-17 academic year, the participants were 255 university students (51.4% female, n=124 and 48.6% male, n=124) aged 18 to 25. As data collection tools, the Narcissistic Personality Inventory, Wiesbaden’s Inventory of Positive Psychotherapy and Family Therapy and Demographic Information Form created by the researchers were used. The Multiple Regression Analysis method was employed to achieve the objectives of the study.
Results
The findings revealed that two of the primary capacities, namely time and patience, were significant predictors of narcissism. In other words, the time capacity was a positive significant predictor of narcissistic personality traits, while those traits were predicted by the patience capacity in a negative way. Regarding the secondary capacities, politeness, faithfulness, cleanliness and honesty were significant predictors of narcissistic personality traits. In brief, the faithfulness, cleanliness and honesty capacities were positive significant predictors whereas the politeness capacity was a negative significant predictor of narcissistic personality traits.
Conclusion
In brief, the primary and secondary capacities, which are defined as personality traits in positive psychotherapy, were significant predictors of narcissistic personality traits. Results and implications are discussed in the light of relevant literature, and suggestions are offered for future research.
Keywords: Narcissism, narcissistic traits, positive psychotherapy
INTRODUCTION
Positive psychotherapy approach, founded by Peseschkian, signifies the importance of the so-called ‘actual capacities’ in individuals’ lives and classifies these capacities into two groups as primary and secondary capacities (1). While primary capacities mainly reflect the emotional aspects of individuals, secondary capacities are mostly related to cognition. The primary capacities include the capacity to love, representing emotionality, and the secondary capacities involve the capacity to know, representing cognition. In more specific terms, the capacity to love is formed and developed by the emotional bonds with the primary caregiver of an individual in the early life stage. This capacity, in the later years of life, is reflected to the outside world through the concepts like patience, relationship, trust, hope, sexuality, love, and belief (2). The capacity to know, on the other hand, stands for the needs of individuals to know about the associations inside the reality. Individuals interrogate a great number of things to reach the cause and effect relation which causes events to occur. Consequently, individuals are in need of knowing who they are and where they come from. Searching for an answer for these questions means the capacity to know (1). As the individuals’ experiences increase, the capacity to know develops and turns into the actual capacities. As such, the capacity to know covers the sub-capacities like orderliness, cleanliness, punctuality, politeness, honesty, diligence, and faithfulness. Positive psychotherapy underlines that all individuals are born with some innate primary and secondary capacities. The positive psychotherapy capacities (1) are presented in Table 1 below.
Table 1.
Actual capacities
| Primary Capacities | Secondary Capacities |
|---|---|
| Love | Thrift |
| Modelling | Precision |
| Patience | Orderliness |
| Time | Cleanliness |
| Contact | Punctuality |
| Sexuality | Politeness |
| Trust | Honesty |
| Confidence | Diligence |
| Hope | Reliability |
| Faith | Conscientiousness |
| Doubt | Obedience |
| Certitude | Justice |
| Unity | Faithfulness |
These capacities are formed with the influence of time and environmental conditions and represented as personality traits in the adulthood period. In the psychopathological patterns that individuals exhibit, the primary and secondary capacities, which are reflected as the capacity to know and the capacity to love, are either overdeveloped or undeveloped. Less developed capacities cause individuals to fail in exhibiting the capacities (1). Overdeveloped capacities lead individuals to use their energy exceedingly. For this reason, it is substantial to hold the capacities at an optimal level and to have a balanced developmental stage. Additionally, the appropriate development of a capacity contributes to the development of other capacities and enables development (3). In other words, all capacities originate from these two actual capacities, every single individual has these capacities without exception, and these two actual capacities have a functional interaction within themselves. In brief, within the context of positive psychotherapy, the primary and secondary capacities explain the personality traits of individuals.
In addition to positive psychotherapy, which describes the personality traits through capacities, the concept of narcissism is known as personality type and highly emphasized in our age. To begin with, distinguishing the differences between narcissistic personality traits and Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) is essential (4). Being a narcissist to a large extent does not mean that a diagnosed psychiatric disorder or a pathological level of narcissism exists. In this regard, narcissism is divided into two groups as normal narcissism and pathological narcissism (5-8). Most social personality studies identify narcissism as a concept varying in intensity but generally as homogenous while clinical psychology studies define narcissism as a miscellaneous structure involving various qualitative forms (6). In the context of normal narcissism, individuals’ self-worth and self-confidence are high, and they are not much vulnerable to the adverse environmental influences. Besides, their self-perceptions and thoughts are their fundamental resources. These individuals keep their self-confidence high by largely rejecting the use of external resources. At this point, the main purpose is to get the deserved value and to be approved by others (7). This aim leads individuals to be fragile and may cause negative effects on their lives. In pathological narcissism, on the other hand, individuals seem extremely confident, and they exhibit non-caring attitudes towards others; however, in their inner world, their entire dependency on others’ opinions is worthy of consideration. Moreover, individuals with pathological level of narcissism reflect their inconvenience to their surroundings when they encounter unpleasant situations or if their deserved value is not given appropriately. Behaviours like extreme anger, antisocial behaviours, or aggression are some of the ways to use to disclose their inconvenience (5-8). In this sense, in order to be diagnosed with NPD, one is expected to have at least five long-term behavioural patterns including pretentiousness, lack of empathy, and need for approval; and only the professionals are able to make this diagnosis. Moreover, NPD is not as common as narcissistic personality because narcissistic personality is not necessarily related to the clinically significant issues as NPD does. In the relevant literature, narcissism is also reported as overt and covert narcissism. Overt narcissism represents displeasure with restrictions, impertinency, selfishness, deprivation of empathy, and grandiose personality. Individuals with covert narcissism are extremely fragile against the criticisms of others; they are anxious and angry, and they internalize the feelings of inferiority towards themselves (7).
The greatest contribution to the understanding and treatment of mental processes in the formation of narcissism has been made by Object Relations and Self Psychology which are among the psychodynamic theories (7,9). Both theories signify that narcissism develops as a consequence of the disorder or lack of parent-child relationship in the early stages of life. Children growing up with neglected and inadequate parental experiences try to maintain their lives using some primitive defence mechanisms. Social interactions in later stages of life may indicate primitive and maladaptive behavioural patterns that are developed against these adverse conditions in childhood. In this way, they show signs of narcissism at the pathological level (9).
In recent years, psychopathology in general, and narcissism cases in particular are reported to increase (10,11). It is obvious that most of the studies in the literature are designed in order to examine the concept of narcissism in adolescents as the risk group (6,7). In these studies, narcissism is found to be linked with some variables such as self-confidence (12), anger (5,13), delinquency (14), anxiety and depression (15), the quality of interpersonal relations (16), and self-compassion (6). Furthermore, some studies demonstrate that narcissism decreases after puberty and young adulthood (17), and varies by gender (12).
Clinical interventions for the treatment of narcissism include EMDR therapy, Object Relations Theory, other intervention methods supported by psychodynamic theories, and some clinical interventions for parental pathologies. In addition to these interventions, positive psychotherapy approach offers theoretical explanations for narcissism; however, the number of studies providing empirical evidence for these theoretical explanations is considerably limited. In addition to all these, there is no study addressing the associations between narcissism and positive psychotherapy capacities. To investigate narcissism in the context of positive psychotherapy will enable us both to see narcissistic personality traits from the perspective of a therapeutic approach and to embrace the variables found to be related to each other in the development of suitable interventions.
METHODS
Research Design
The goal of the present study is to investigate narcissistic personality traits in the context of positive psychotherapy. The sub-objectives of the study are to examine the links between narcissistic personality traits and each of the primary and secondary capacities which are considered as personality structuring in positive psychotherapy. In this regard, the research questions are given below as follows:
What is the relationship between narcissistic personality traits and the primary capacities?
What is the relationship between narcissistic personality traits and the secondary capacities?
The criterion sampling method was used as one of the purposeful sampling methods. The criterion was being a young adult university student in the ages ranging from 18 to 25. The main reason why university students were included in the study is that there are empirical findings indicating increased narcissistic tendencies among university students (4). To illustrate, in a study conducted with university students on 31 campuses spread across the US, the narcissism scores on the Narcissistic Personality Inventory were found to be progressively higher between 1979 and 2006 (18). Considering this rapid rise in narcissistic personality traits and the possibility of reaching the pathological level in the later stages, determining the relationships between personality structuring in positive psychotherapy and narcissism will significantly contribute to positive psychotherapy in terms of developing appropriate intervention methods. It is also useful to look at the narcissistic personality traits from a communal perspective, due to their widespread nature. In this respect, the clinical population addresses a very limited percentage of the entire population.
Participants
The study group consisted of 255 university students studying in the preparatory school of Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt University in the Fall semester of the 2016-2017 academic year. 131 (51.4%) females and 124 (48.6%) males aged 18-25 (Sd = 1.28, M=18.75) participated in the study. Prior to the study, participants were given detailed information about the research and they were assured that their identities would be kept confidential. The study was approved by the ethics committee of Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt University, and the participants contributed to the study with their informed consent.
Instruments
As data collection tools, the Narcissistic Personality Inventory and Wiesbaden’s Inventory of Positive Psychotherapy and Family Therapy were used. All the participants were asked about their age and gender via Demographic Information Form created by the researchers.
Wiesbaden’s Inventory of Positive Psychotherapy and Family Therapy (WIPPF): The WIPPF was developed by Peseschkian and Deidenbach as a 4-point scale composed of 88 items to measure the primary and secondary capacities in positive psychotherapy. The Turkish adaptation of the WIPPF was carried out by Sarı, Eryılmaz and Varlıklı (19), and it has four sub-dimensions: secondary capacities, primary capacities, coping with conflict, and model dimensions. In the adaptation stage, confirmatory and exploratory factor analysis studies were conducted for the sub-dimensions. According to the results of the second-level factor analysis performed for the primary and secondary capacities, the capacities were classified into two factors as the primary and secondary capacities. According to the results of confirmatory factor analysis, the Chi-square value was 398,49; degree of freedom was 151, and RMSEA was 0.074. When the results were evaluated in terms of the equilibrium model, the results were as follows: the Chi-square value = 2.52; degree of freedom = 2, and RMSEA= 0.029. With regard to the quad model, the Chi-square value was 0.02; degree of freedom was 2, and RMSEA was 0.00. In the study, the Cronbach’s alpha technique was used to analyse the reliability of the subscales. According to the results, the Cronbach’s alpha reliability was found to be 0.77 for the secondary capacities, and to be 0.75 for the primary capacities.
Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI): The NPI was developed by Ames, Rose, and Anderson (20) as a 16-item scale. The NPI comprises six sub-dimensions taken from the larger NPI-40 of Raskin and Terry (21) except for the seventh sub-dimension of self-admiration. The Turkish adaptation of the NPI was carried out by Atay (22). The linguistic and cultural appropriateness was ensured, and the validity and reliability analyses revealed that the Cronbach’ alpha value was 0.652. The NPI includes 16 items loading on six relational dimensions: exhibitionism, superiority, authority, entitlement, exploitation, and self-sufficiency. The scores of the NPI are rated from 0 to 2 for authority, 0 to 3 for exhibitionism, 0 to 3 for exploitation, 0 to 2 for entitlement, 0 to 2 for self-sufficiency, and 0 to 3 for superiority. Narcissistic responses are coded as 1 and non-narcissistic responses are coded as 0. The total score of narcissism is obtained from a scale of 0 to 16. An increase in the number of scores represents an increase in the level of narcissism (22).
Statistical Analysis
In the current study, the relationships between the primary and secondary capacities in positive psychotherapy and narcissistic personality traits were investigated. In the analysis of the data, Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS Inc.; Chicago, IL, ABD) 16.0 package program was used, and the statistical significance level was accepted as p<0,05. Descriptive statistics and the multiple regression analysis as a non-parametric test were used in the study. Correlations, means, and standard deviations were calculated for the descriptive statistics. The results were presented as means and standard deviations.
RESULTS
Descriptive Statistics
Prior to the tests, preliminary analyses were carried out to reveal the zero-order correlations, means, and standard deviations among the nine observed variables including primary capacities and narcissism, which are reported in Table 1. The skewness values for the observed variables ranged from -0,698 and 0,287, and the kurtosis variables were between -0,546 and 0,705. These values demonstrate that the statistical appropriateness of the variables is ensured in terms of normal distribution assumptions.
Table 1.
Correlations, means, and standard deviations among nine observed variables including primary capacities and narcissism
| Variables | Means | Standard deviations | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Patience | 7.88 | 1.88 | - | ||||||||
| 2. Time | 8.62 | 1.68 | 0.27** | - | |||||||
| 3. Contact | 8.87 | 1.73 | 0.13** | 0.31** | - | ||||||
| 4. Trust | 9.38 | 1.42 | 0.29** | 0.32** | 0.32** | - | |||||
| 5. Hope | 9.68 | 1.70 | 0.38** | 0.41** | 0.27** | 0.33** | - | ||||
| 6. Sexuality | 7.83 | 1.82 | 0.15** | 0.16** | 0.14** | 0.12** | -0.02 | - | |||
| 7. Love | 9.47 | 1.54 | 0.29** | 0.28** | 0.29** | 0.37** | 0.34** | 0.11 | - | ||
| 8. Faith | 9.62 | 1.74 | 0.19** | 0.40** | 0.21** | 0.26** | 0.38** | 0.23** | 0.17** | - | |
| 9. Narcissism | 6.46 | 2.67 | -0.13* | 0.14* | 0.004 | -0.03 | 0.05 | 0.05 | -0.08 | 0.05 | - |
p<0.05,
p<0.01, N=255. Inventory of Positive Psychotherapy and Family Therapy, Narcissistic Personality Inventory
The zero-order correlations, means, and standard deviations among the 12 observed variables including secondary capacities and narcissism are presented in Table 2. The skewness values for the observed variables ranged from -0,1372 and 0,233, and the kurtosis variables were between -0,512 and 0,2717. These values demonstrate that the statistical appropriateness of the variables is ensured in terms of normal distribution assumptions.
Table 2.
Correlations, means, and standard deviations among 12 observed variables including secondary capacities and narcissism
| Variables | Means | Standard deviations | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Orderliness | 8.24 | 1.86 | - | |||||||||||
| 2. Cleanliness | 7.42 | 2.02 | 0.41** | - | ||||||||||
| 3. Punctuality | 8.44 | 2.00 | 0.34** | 0.20** | - | |||||||||
| 4. Politeness | 9.51 | 1.56 | 0.16** | 0.16* | 0.18** | - | ||||||||
| 5. Honesty | 9.52 | 1.60 | 0.07 | 0.11 | 0.09 | 0.21** | - | |||||||
| 6. Diligence | 8.12 | 1.80 | 0.39** | 0.34** | 0.39** | 0.16** | 0.22** | - | ||||||
| 7. Reliability | 10.12 | 1.44 | 0.24** | 0.12* | 0.24** | 0.28** | 0.26** | 0.20** | - | |||||
| 8. Thrift | 6.88 | 1.98 | 0.14* | 0.21** | 0.23** | 0.06 | -0.06 | 0.18** | 0.04 | - | ||||
| 9. Obedience | 8.65 | 1.66 | 0.40** | 0.25** | 0.30** | 0.15* | 0.00 | 0.35** | 0.20** | 0.28** | - | |||
| 10. Justice | 9.55 | 1.67 | 0.05 | 0.02 | 0.10 | -0.19** | 0.15* | 0.12 | 0.16* | 0.00 | 0.08 | - | ||
| 11. Faithfulness | 10.37 | 1.43 | 0.17** | 0.10 | 0.19** | 0.32** | 0.33** | 0.17** | 0.37** | -0.02 | 0.15* | 0.31** | - | |
| 12. Narcissism | 6.46 | 2.67 | 0.03 | 0.13* | -0.09 | -0.15* | 0.17** | 0.03 | 0.01 | -0.06 | -0.10 | -0.07 | 0.12 | - |
p<0.05,
p<0.01, N=255, Inventory of Positive Psychotherapy and Family Therapy, Narcissistic Personality Inventory
Findings Related to the Links between Primary Capacities in Positive Psychotherapy and Narcissistic Personality Traits
Multiple regression analysis was implemented for the purpose of investigating the links between the primary capacities and narcissistic personality traits, and the results are shown in Table 3.
Table 3.
Multiple regression matrix between narcissistic personality traits and the primary capacities
| Narcissistic Personality Traits | B | SEB | β | t | p |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Constant | 7.005 | 1.547 | 4.529 | 0.000 | |
| Patience | -0.237 | 0.099 | -0.167 | -2.402 | 0.017 |
| Time | 0.315 | 0.117 | 0.198 | 2.696 | 0.008 |
| Contact | -0.028 | 0.106 | -0.018 | -0.261 | 0.795 |
| Trust | -0.051 | 0.134 | -0.027 | -0.377 | 0.706 |
| Hope | 0.122 | 0.121 | 0.078 | 1.012 | 0.312 |
| Sexuality | -0.059 | 0.096 | -0.040 | -0.615 | 0.539 |
| Love | -0.160 | 0.122 | -0.092 | -1.310 | 0.192 |
| Faith | 0.013 | 0.110 | 0.008 | 0.118 | 0.906 |
N=255, R=0.253, R2=0.064, F=2.110, p<0.05 B, non-standardized regression coefficient; SEB, standard error; β, regression coefficient; t, degree of freedom, p, significance level.
As Table 3 indicates, whether the primary capacities in positive psychotherapy are significant predictors of narcissistic personality traits was examined, and the results demonstrated that there exists a significant relationship between the scores of narcissism and time (β=0,198, p<0,01) and patience (β=-0,167, p<0,05) capacities. As indicated by the results, the time capacity significantly predicted narcissism in a positive way, whereas the patience capacity was a negative significant predictor of narcissism. Overall, primary capacities explain approximately 7% of the total variance of narcissism [F=2,110, p<0,05].
According to the regression analysis results, a one-point increase in time capacity results in an increase in narcissism at the level of 0,315, and a one-point increase in patience capacity causes a decrease in narcissism at the level of 0,237.
Findings Related to the Links between the Secondary Capacities in Positive Psychotherapy and Narcissistic Personality Traits
The results of the analysis performed with the aim of examining the associations between the secondary capacities and narcissistic traits, which addresses to the second goal of the study, are illustrated in Table 4.
Table 4.
Multiple regression matrix between narcissistic personality traits and the primary capacities
| Narcissistic Personality Traits | B | SEB | β | t | p |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Constant | 6.140 | 1.770 | 3.468 | 0.001 | |
| Orderliness | 0.045 | 0.104 | 0.031 | 0.427 | 0.670 |
| Cleanliness | 0.217 | 0.090 | 0.164 | 2.407 | 0.017 |
| Punctuality | -0.135 | 0.092 | -0.101 | -1.473 | 0.142 |
| Politeness | -0.372 | 0.112 | -0.218 | -3.331 | 0.001 |
| Honesty | 0.260 | 0.110 | 0.156 | 2.359 | 0.019 |
| Diligence | 0.047 | 0.107 | 0.031 | 0.436 | 0.663 |
| Reliability | -0.017 | 0.126 | -0.009 | -0.133 | 0.894 |
| Thrift | -0.028 | 0.087 | -0.021 | -0.328 | 0.743 |
| Obedience | -0.169 | 0.112 | -0.105 | -1.502 | 0.134 |
| Justice | -0.140 | 0.102 | -0.087 | -1.376 | 0.170 |
| Faithfulness | 0.321 | 0.132 | 0.172 | 2.430 | 0.016 |
N=255, R=0.359, R2=0.129, F=3.273, p<0.05 B, non-standardized regression coefficient; SEB, standard error; β, regression coefficient; t, degree of freedom, p, significance level.
With regard to the results in Table 4, a significant relationship was found between the secondary capacities in positive psychotherapy and narcissism. As the results demonstrate, politeness, faithfulness, cleanliness, and honesty capacities were significant predictors of narcissism, respectively. The results indicate that the politeness capacity (β=-0,218, p<0,01) was a negative significant predictor of narcissism, whereas faithfulness (β=0,172, p<0,05), cleanliness (β=0,164, p<0,05), and honesty (β=0,156, p<0,05) capacities were positive significant predictors of narcissism. In addition, approximately 0,13% of the total variance of narcissism was explained by the secondary capacities [F=3,273, p<0,05].
According to the regression analysis results, a one-point increase in the politeness capacity causes a decrease in narcissism at the level of 0,372; a one-point increase in the faithfulness capacity leads to an increase in narcissism at the level of 0,321; a one-point increase in the cleanliness capacity results in an increase in narcissism at the level of 0,217, and a one-point increase in the honesty capacity causes to an increase in narcissism at the level of 0,26. To wrap up, narcissistic personality traits are more closely related to the secondary capacities than to the primary ones.
DISCUSSION
In the present study conducted with young adult university students, how narcissistic personality traits correlate with the primary and secondary capacities in the context of positive psychotherapy was examined. Considering the findings, while the time capacity, as a primary capacity, significantly predicted narcissistic personality traits in a positive way, the patience capacity was a negative significant predictor of narcissism. In regard to the secondary capacities, politeness capacity was a negative predictor of the narcissistic personality traits, and the faithfulness, cleanliness and honesty capacities were positive predictors of narcissistic personality traits. Positive psychotherapy explains personality structuring through capacities. Based on the positive psychotherapy approach, the hypothesis that some personality traits (capacities) predict narcissistic personality traits is a significant finding for the literature. It may contribute to the literature to a great extent if intervention methods are developed for narcissism, which is considered as the personality structure of our age, and is especially prevalent among university students (4,18). In this sense, the ultimate goal of this research is;
To add a new dimension to the studies carried out with university students on narcissism,
To fill the gap in the related literature by investigating positive psychotherapy and narcissism together for the first time,
To offer suggestions for future research.
As this study is not limited to the clinical population and examines the concept of narcissism from the perspective of a psychotherapy approach considering the disseminating nature of narcissism, it is expected to make a considerable contribution to the literature.
As for the discussions of findings, it might be more fitting to begin with the primary capacities. It is one of the findings of this study that time capacity is a positive predictor of narcissism. From the positive psychotherapy perspective, the time capacity refers to the time spent with the beloved ones, indicating a sufficient amount and quality of time to enable a person to develop and to be cared (3). For instance, if a mother spends her time by criticising and scolding her children, it means that this mother uses her time differently than a mother who gives her children peace and takes care of them appropriately. According to Pesseschkian, time is not only essential for the development of a child, but is also critical to provide individuals with an opportunity to regulate the past, present and future consciously and to integrate these different time periods (3). The negative development of time capacity can result in discomforts and conflicts such as excessive/inadequate desires, neglect, anxiety, fear of being alone, unhealthy relations with friends, impatience, isolation, taking care of the body exceedingly to draw attention, running away from home, dependency on friends, and selfishness. In this respect, it is a remarkable finding that time capacity is a significant predictor of narcissistic personality traits. How individuals with narcissism develop these personality traits is explained by the research based on infancy periods. According to the psychoanalytic theory, the reason why individuals over-react in case of refusal, feel lost in integrity, and exhibit excessive anger is because of the failure to complete the responses to the integration of the self during the childhood (7,9). Initially, the baby builds up a relation with the mother without knowing that his/her mother is an independent entity. When the baby discovers that the mother is independent, and encounters the mother’s unstable, inconsistent, rejecting, and emotionally non-caring attitudes, the baby experiences a disappointment and distrust. According to Freud, the baby, for this reason, perceives the inner-world as the only place to hold balance and consistency. The babies growing up with the approval and care of their mother in all circumstances feel anxious when they leave their mother (23). The reason for their anxiety is that they realize that they have limitations in reality and lose their sense of being magnificent and powerful. This leads to the development of narcissistic personality traits, and it causes the narcissists to turn towards their inner-world. Considering all of these, for narcissists, devoting time to themselves is inevitable. Narcissists who focus attention on their inner-world attribute the importance of time to themselves. As described in the DSM-V, the narcissists use their time by thinking over unlimited success, power, intelligence, beauty or flawless love (24). For these reasons, this finding, the prediction of narcissistic personality traits by time capacity, is congruent with the related literature as well.
Another finding of this study is that, as a primary capacity, the patience capacity was a negative predictor of narcissistic personality traits. According to Pesseschkian, the patience capacity corresponds to the ability to wait, to delay partial satisfactions, and to give time to others (3). Lack of patience can lead to the discontinuation of friendships due to the insufficient amount of time given for others. The impatience refers to the desire to get the things necessitating time done urgently and immediately. In this manner, the prediction of narcissistic personality traits by the patience capacity is a very significant finding. The narcissists display unpleasant behaviours and feelings such as giving more value to themselves than needed, regarding themselves as perfect, needing to get approval from others, needing appreciation and praise and to be loved, making an effort to be successful and strong, feeling entitlement, being unable to develop empathy, being fragile, having a fragile but high self-esteem, neglect, rejection, loneliness, and extreme anger against criticism (6,7,9,15,16,21). There are many studies demonstrating that the narcissists, who try to strengthen their ego status with the approval and appreciation of others, show extreme anger in negative situations (6,12,25). The narcissists, in addition to being deprived of abilities such as spending time with others, empathetic thinking and appreciation, exhibit intolerant and angry behaviours when they cannot receive approval or support. This is an indication of the lack of patience capacity. In brief, the prediction of narcissistic personality traits by patience capacity is a finding consistent with the relevant literature.
Considering the associations between the secondary capacities and narcissism, the politeness, faithfulness, cleanliness, and honesty capacities were found to be significant predictors of narcissistic personality traits respectively. According to the differentiation analysis in positive psychotherapy, politeness is the prevention of aggression against society. In comparison with the other capacities, politeness is mainly determined by cultural and social levels. The desire for excessive politeness may mean rejection or suppression of aggressive motives, which is a reflection of the problem of mistrust and self-confidence. According to the positive psychotherapy, the capacity of politeness is always in struggle with the capacity of honesty (3). In this study, the politeness capacity was a negative predictor of narcissistic personality traits, while those traits were positively predicted by the honesty capacity, and this finding is line with the explanations of the positive psychotherapy approach. The results revealed a negative correlation between the politeness capacity and narcissism; and this finding is a non-surprising outcome as the narcissists are the ones who derive benefits from others for their self-interests, exaggerate and boast about their achievements and talents, seek unlimited success, power, intelligence, beauty, or chase a dream of high-level of love, cannot establish empathy, are jealous of others, are disrespectful, and exhibit behaviours or attitudes of self-love. Narcissists with high expectations can use their impulsivity and get angry when their expectations are not satisfied (5,6,12,13). From the positive psychotherapy point of view, the honesty means expressing ideas clearly. The concept of honesty encompasses truthfulness and authenticity (3). Kauten and Barry carried out a research on the individuals with pathological narcissism and their peers, and reported that individuals who exhibit narcissistic traits describe themselves as people who exhibit pro-social behaviours, while their peers reported the opposite as the case (8). Narcissists always tend to exalt themselves and conceal their true selves. Narcissists’ worthless real personality and boasting inauthentic personality appear in the same person, but they never exist together. The person is mostly dominated by the boasting inauthentic personality trait (9). Such narcissism is defined as self-perception that is inflated and positive but unrealistic. The reason why narcissists claim to have pro-social manners may be related to their self-interests, such as affirmation and supremacy (8). Narcissists can use their social relations to serve their own interests because of their selfish nature. In this regard, the finding that the total score of narcissistic personality traits is positively predicted by the honesty capacity may be resulted from their boasting attitudes and concealing the true-self. It is not surprising that the narcissists, who are egocentric and focused on their own perceptions, claim that they exhibit honest behaviours.
Another finding of our study is that the capacity of faithfulness predicted the narcissistic personality traits positively. This finding is not consistent with the previous research findings. Some studies suggest that narcissists have prejudices in romantic relationships and self-perceptions (26). Individuals with high narcissism scores have been reported to be in constant doubt about the loyalty levels of their romantic partners, (27) and to exhibit low fidelity characteristics (28). In another study (25), narcissism is associated with unethical behaviours such as lack of long-term interpersonal relations, low faithfulness in romantic relationships, and being academically dishonest.
The current study has also determined that the cleanliness capacity positively predicts the narcissistic personality traits. According to Pesseschkian, cleanliness has a protective function above all (3). Cleanliness refers to body, clothes, daily belongings, home and environment. At abnormal levels indicating obsession, cleanliness may destroy interpersonal relationships and cause anxiety. In this study, the prediction of narcissistic personality traits by the cleanliness capacity can be explained by the self-worth attributions and self-exalting attitudes of narcissists. Narcissists are fond of flaunting, enjoy grabbing the attention of others, and are acutely interested in their physical appearance (29,30). Narcissists highly value attractiveness (26) and appearing clean and well-groomed, and they make great efforts to behave fashionably (30). They are neither successful in loving themselves nor loving others (7,9). For this reason, it can be stated that they use their cleanliness capacity to get in contact with their bodies in order to get in touch with their own feelings. This is likely a different indication of self-centeredness, self-love and the desire of supremacy. Narcissists are individuals who like themselves overwhelmingly both physically and mentally, are constantly attracted to appreciation, approval and attention, who feel superior and believe that they deserve a superior status and will catch the attention of others. They always tend to be the most successful, the most handsome/beautiful and the brightest individuals among others. In this sense, the capacity of cleanliness serves their personal goals.
Overall, investigated within the context of personality structuring of positive psychotherapy, the capacities and narcissistic personality traits clearly correlate, which is supported by the previous research literature.
Limitations and Suggestions
This study was conducted with young adults aged 18 to 25. Prior research findings indicate that narcissistic traits show different characteristics in different age groups. For further research, it may be suggested to examine how narcissistic personality traits in different age groups correlate with personality structuring of positive psychotherapy. Additionally, including a clinical population in terms of establishing appropriate intervention methods may add a different dimension, and the differences and/or similarities between clinical population and normal population can be investigated. Furthermore, constructing a model to visually illustrate the links between the capacities in positive psychotherapy and narcissistic personality traits will shed further light on the related literature.
Footnotes
Ethics Committee Approval: The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt University.
Informed Consent: Written informed consent was obtained from all participants.
Peer-review: Externally peer-reviewed.
Author contributions: Concept – NK, AE; Design – NK, AE; Supervision – NK, AE; Resource – NK; Data Collection &/or Processing –NK; Analysis&/or Interpretation – NK, AE; Literature Search – NK; Writing Manuscript– NK; Critical Review – NK, AE.
Conflict of Interest: There is no conflict of interest between the authors.
Financial Disclosure: NoneI.
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