Overt and Covert Narcissism in Iranian Students: The Role of Self-esteem and Shame

Objective: For decades, both theory and research have focused on the role of self-esteem and shame in constructing narcissistic traits. However, studies on the exact relationship between these two and overt and covert facets of narcissism have been equivocal.  Methods: The current study is correlational. It examined these relationships among ۳۰۸ Iranian college students (۱۵۵ males, ۱۵۳ females, mean age=۲۳.۴۹ years, SD=۲.۸۳). The target population was all students of national universities of Tehran, Iran. The sampling method was non-random multi-step clustering. Participants were asked to fill four self-report measures: Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPD), Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale (RSES), Test of Selfconscious Affect (TOSCA-۳), and Hypersensitive Narcissism Scale (HSNS). The data were analyzed by SPSS ۱۹.۰.۰ software, using Pearson’s Correlation, T-test and Multiple Regression Analysis methods.  Results: Surprisingly, there was no significant difference between men and women with respect to NPI scores. Findings also revealed that shame was negatively related to overt narcissism (r=-۰.۲۲, P<۰.۰۵) and positively related to covert narcissism (r=۰.۲۳, P<۰.۰۵). Self-esteem was found to be positively correlated with overt narcissism (r=۰.۴۲, P<۰.۰۱) and negatively correlated with covert narcissism (r=-۰.۳۰, P<۰.۰۱).  Conclusion: The results provide support for the models of overt narcissism in which the narcissistic self serves as a buffer against inner feelings of inferiority. It also supports the importance of shame and low self-esteem in shaping the covert narcissistic traits. However, shame could not differentiate between overt and covert narcissism. The empirical, cultural, and clinical implications of the findings are discussed.

Keywords:

Overt narcissism , Covert narcissism , Self-esteem , Shame