Comparison of cognitive flexibility and attention focus in individuals with narcissistic and obsessive-compulsive personality disorders

The aim of this study was to compare the cognitive flexibility and attention focus in individuals with narcissistic and obsessive-compulsive personality disorders. This study is among the causal-comparative studies in which two groups of 50 individuals with narcissistic and obsessive-compulsive personality disorders were selected from students attending Islamic Azad University Science and Research Branch of Tehran using screening method. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) showed that there is a significant difference between the two groups of individuals with narcissistic and obsessive-compulsive personality disorders in cognitive flexibility, attention focus, and their components. So that individuals with obsessive-compulsive personality disorder scored lower in attention focus variable, other-focused attention component, cognitive flexibility variable and components of the ability to generate multiple alternative solutions to difficult situations, the tendency to perceive difficult situations as controllable, and the ability to perceive multiple alternative explanations for life occurrences and human behavior; and higher in self-focused attention component than individuals with narcissistic personality disorder. The results of the study revealed that individuals with narcissistic personality disorder due to characteristics of extraversion and effort to communicate with others (even for absorbing others attention and admiration) show greater flexibility and adaptability than other individuals with obsessive-compulsive personality disorder that this feature can have positive consequences for them.