Jak mnie widzą, tak mnie piszą. Ocena społecznej percepcji narcyzmu wśród adolescentów
Fine Feathers Make Fine Birds. Assessment of Social Perception of Narcissism among Adolescents

Summary/Abstract: Although narcissism enjoys popularity in both scientific discourse and popular culture, it is still most often associated with its grandiose form. Narcissistic individuals tend to lose the sympathy of others over time but what comes in its place? This study aimed to assess the accuracy of identifying narcissistic individuals in the school environment based on their phenotypic manifestation and examine the relationship between these traits and perceived popularity. The study involved N = 636 first-year high school students aged 13–16 (M = 14.30; SD = 0.55). Participants completed the Narcissistic Admiration and Rivalry Questionnaire (NARQ) and the Vulnerable Isolation and Enmity Questionnaire (VIEQ), both measuring narcissism through self-report. Additionally, they answered peer-nomination questions, indicating classmates they considered popular and those who exhibited narcissistic traits. The results confirmed that grandiose narcissism can be accurately recognized by peers, whereas this does not apply to its vulnerable form. Students with higher levels of grandiose narcissistic traits were more often identified as popular. In contrast, vulnerable narcissism showed a negative correlation with being perceived as popular. A positive association was also found between being simultaneously perceived as narcissistic and popular. These findings highlight significant differences in the social perception of narcissistic traits and the difficulty of recognizing vulnerable narcissism, which may hinder adequate support and lead to misinterpretation of its causes. Additionally, the results suggest that narcissism among adolescents is a heterogeneous phenomenon, carrying both positive and negative connotations – an aspect that deserves further exploration in future research.

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