Sex differences in narcissism

Short description: Personality trait of self-love, as differentiated by gender

Template:Sex differences

In gender studies, the analysis of gender differences in narcissism suggests that male narcissism and female narcissism differ in a number of aspects.

In Jeffrey Kluger’s 2014 book: “The Narcissist Next Door”, the author states that our society, still largely patriarchal, is more likely to tolerate male narcissism and aggressiveness compared to when those same traits present in females.[1]

In 2015, a number of media outlets reported[1][2] a study at the University at Buffalo, which analyzed 31 years of data of narcissism research and concluded that men consistently scored higher in the first two of three aspects of the Narcissistic Personality Inventory: leadership/authority, exploitative/entitlement, and grandiose/exhibitionism.

However, recent research suggests narcissistic women don't display the same traits associated with narcissism in men. Women with narcissistic personality traits are less likely to be diagnosed as a narcissist, presenting more of a “vulnerable narcissism.”[3][4][5]

The team leader of the research, Emily Grijalva, commented that on average this difference is slight (a one-quarter of a standard deviation) and there was almost no difference in the exhibitionism dimension (which covers such aspects as vanity, self-absorption and attention-seeking). A similar degree of difference has been observed for other personality traits, e.g., slightly higher neuroticism for women (neuroticism has been linked to vulnerable narcissism[6]) and slightly higher risk-taking for men.[7]

Research has found that women tend to be more clandestine with their narcissism, with vulnerable narcissism being more common in women and much harder to diagnose:[8] "Narcissistic women are abusing in ways that society allows. They often leverage their femininity, present themselves as soft-spoken, but it is cunning; it's premeditated" says Dr Green.[8] Green added: "These findings show that narcissistic women are less likely to manifest the stereotypical expressions of grandiose narcissism that closely resemble masculine features of males in society, potentially due to fears of receiving backlash for violating feminine gender stereotypes.[8]

The reasons of reported gender difference were outside the scope of the study, however the authors speculated that it is rooted in historically established social conventions about what is acceptable for a particular gender and what are the traditional social roles for genders.[8]

A number of earlier studies (on smaller scales) reported similar bias.[9] A further indication for the trend was a 2008 finding that the lifetime narcissistic personality disorder is more prevalent for men (7.7%) than for women (4.8%).[10]

A 2023 comprehensive study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology measured gender differences in narcissism among a sample size of over 250,000 people, found that men scored higher in narcissism than women.[11]

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Jeffrey Kluger, "Why Men Are More Narcissistic Than Women"
2. ↑ "Proof at last: men really are bigger narcissists than women". 7 March 2015. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/relationships/11455614/Proof-at-last-men-really-are-bigger-narcissists-than-women.html.
3. ↑ "Unravelling the gendered undertones of narcissism". https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/06/240606152242.htm#:~:text=Dr Green said: "We found,sexual, and psychological partner violence.
4. ↑ "Study: Men tend to be more narcissistic than women", A University of Buffalo news release, March 4, 2015
5. ↑ "Gender differences in narcissism: A meta-analytic review.", Grijalva, Emily; Newman, Daniel A.; Tay, Louis; Donnellan, M. Brent; Harms, P. D.; Robins, Richard W.; Yan, Taiyi, Psychological Bulletin, Vol 141(2), Mar 2015, 261-310. doi:10.1037/a0038231 (article text available from DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska–Lincoln)
6. ↑ "Vulnerable Narcissism Is (Mostly) a Disorder of Neuroticism". https://scottbarrykaufman.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Miller_et_al-2018-Journal_of_Personality.pdf.
7. ↑ "Narcissism increases the chance you'll be seen as a leader, especially if you're a man", Emily Grijalva, Monday 9 March 2015, The Guardian
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Frankel, Miriam (2 February 2025). "'Female narcissism is often misdiagnosed': How science is finding women can have a dark streak too". The Observer. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/feb/02/female-narcissism-is-often-misdiagnosed-how-science-is-finding-women-can-have-a-dark-streak-too#:~:text=And Green has shown that,more brittle and less boastful.
9. ↑ Joshua D. Foster, W. Keith Campbell, Jean M. Twenge, "Individual differences in narcissism: Inflated self-views across the lifespan and around the world", Journal of Research in Personality, Volume 37, Issue 6, December 2003, Pages 469–486, doi:10.1016/S0092-6566(03)00026-6. Quote: "The results suggest that (1) reported narcissism declines in older participants, (2) consistent with previous findings, males report being more narcissistic than females, (3) that ethnic differences in reported narcissism are generally comparable to those found in the self-esteem literature, and (4) that world region appears to exert influence on narcissism, with participants from more individualistic societies reporting more narcissism."
10. ↑ Grijalva et al. (2015) citing Stinson, F. S., Dawson, D. A., Goldstein, R. B., Chou, S. P., Huang, B., Smith, S. M., ... Grant, B. F. (2008). "Prevalence, correlates, disability, and comorbidity of DSM–IV narcissistic personality disorder: Results from the wave 2 national epidemiologic survey on alcohol and related conditions". The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 69, 1033–1045. doi:10.4088/JCP.v69n0701
11. ↑ Weidmann, Rebekka; Chopik, William J.; Ackerman, Robert A.; Allroggen, Marc; Bianchi, Emily C.; Brecheen, Courtney; Campbell, W. Keith; Gerlach, Tanja M. et al. (June 2023). "Age and gender differences in narcissism: A comprehensive study across eight measures and over 250,000 participants." (in en). Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 124 (6): 1277–1298. doi:10.1037/pspp0000463. ISSN 1939-1315. PMID 37184962.

## Further reading

* William Beers, Women and Sacrifice: Male Narcissism and the Psychology of Religion, Wayne State University Press, Ph.D., thesis, Hardcover – August 1, 1992, ISBN 0-8143-2377-4, 216pp (a review and excerpt in Consuming Religion: Christian Faith and Practice in a Consumer Culture )
* Scott W. Keiller, Kent State University, "Male Narcissism and Attitudes Toward Heterosexual Women and Men, Lesbian Women, and Gay Men: Hostility toward Heterosexual Women Most of All", Sex Roles, 63(7-8), 530–541. doi: 10.1007/s11199-010-9837-8 (Article review at Science Daily)

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