Reflections on narcissism: Conflicts about body-image perceptions in women

Research indicates that narcissism can be manifested both by healthy and by pathological behaviours and attitudes, and that womenʹs body esteem tends to be associated with the former. This study set out to assess the joint impact on body esteem of the two aspects of narcissism. Regression analyses (controlling for body mass and general neuroticism) indicated that the adaptive and maladaptive aspects of narcissism were ‘interactively’ associated with body esteem in young women. Specifically, the magnitude of the slope reflecting the positive relationship between adaptive narcissism and body esteem was systematically attenuated by increases in maladaptive narcissism. These findings enabled us to dissociate two fundamentally distinct components of narcissism that are often confounded in the experimental literature. Results are discussed with reference to their implications for eating disorders among women.