Effects of narcissistic personality traits and interpersonal relationship tendencies of art therapists on their countertransference management ability

• A narcissistic personality traits was directly and indirectly correlated with the countertransference management ability.
• Interpersonal relations tendencies was directly correlated with the countertransference management ability.
• The influence of self-sufficiency on their countertransference management ability was the strongest among all the variables.

This study investigated the effects of art therapists’ narcissistic personality traits and interpersonal relationship tendencies on their countertransference management ability. The study participants were 181 art therapists who had already performed paid art therapy service for at least ten times nationwide. The study instruments were a questionnaire on the demographic and job-related information of art therapists, a Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI), an interpersonal relationship scale, and a Countertransference Factor Inventory (CFI). The data were analyzed using frequencies, percentage, means, and standard deviations. Pearson's correlation values were calculated and multiple regression analysis was conducted. First, among the items of narcissistic personality traits, the values of self-sufficiency, authority, and superiority were in a middle range, whereas the values of vanity and exploitativeness were in a low range. In terms of interpersonal relationship tendencies, the values of sympathetic–receptive, sociable–friendly, and independent–responsible were in a high middle range, whereas the values of defiant–distrusting and competitive–aggressive were in a low range. The value of countertransference management ability was above the middle. Second, the countertransference management ability was directly correlated with narcissistic personality traits, including self-sufficiency and entitlement, and with interpersonal relations tendencies, including dominant–superior, independent–responsible, epideictic–self-absorptive, and defiant–distrusting. Exhibitionism, a narcissistic personality trait, was indirectly correlated with the countertransference management ability through dominant–superior. Self-sufficiency, a narcissistic personality trait, was indirectly correlated with the countertransference management ability through independent–responsible. Entitlement was indirectly correlated with the countertransference management ability through epideictic–self-absorptive.