Recollections of parenting styles in the development of narcissism: The role of gender

Narcissism in females is under-theorized in the literature due to a predominant focus on grandiose features indicative of the male gender. This study aimed to investigate recalled parenting styles in the development of grandiose and vulnerable narcissism to enhance theoretical knowledge regarding ge...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inPersonality and individual differences Vol. 167; p. 110246
Main Authors Green, Ava, MacLean, Rory, Charles, Kathy
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.12.2020
Elsevier Science Ltd
Subjects
Etiology
Females
Gender
Gender differences
Grandiose narcissism
Males
Men
Narcissism
Parenting style
Parenting styles
Parents & parenting
Vulnerable narcissism
Gender
Vulnerable narcissism
Etiology
Parenting styles
Grandiose narcissism
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Summary:Narcissism in females is under-theorized in the literature due to a predominant focus on grandiose features indicative of the male gender. This study aimed to investigate recalled parenting styles in the development of grandiose and vulnerable narcissism to enhance theoretical knowledge regarding gender differences in the personality construct. Based on previous research, it was hypothesized that strict parenting by the father would predict grandiose narcissism in males, and cold parenting by the mother would predict vulnerable narcissism in females. Participants (N = 328; 176 females) recruited from the normal population completed scales for grandiose and vulnerable narcissism, and perceived parenting styles. Results showed that females scored significantly higher on vulnerable narcissism than males, but no gender differences were found for grandiose narcissism. Findings linked retrospective reports of paternal overprotectiveness as a significant positive predictor of both grandiose and vulnerable narcissism in males; for females, recollections of maternal warmth significantly negatively predicted unique variance in vulnerable narcissism. Findings suggest that the interplay between parental styles and parent gender may be associated with different manifestations of narcissism in males and females. The theoretical implications of these findings are discussed and suggestions for future research made.
ISSN:0191-8869
1873-3549
DOI:10.1016/j.paid.2020.110246