Narcissism and self-presentation: Profiling grandiose and vulnerable Narcissists' self-presentation tactic use

This is the first study to investigate narcissism in relation to multiple self-presentation behaviors. In Study 1, we tested the relation between grandiose narcissism and 12 self-presentation tactics (as measured by the Self-Presentation Tactics Scale). In Study 2, we replicated Study 1 and included a measure of vulnerable narcissism. Our review of the literature implied that vulnerable narcissism and grandiose narcissism might relate differentially to self-presentation tactic categories. Results generally supported the idea that grandiose narcissism is associated with heightened use of assertive but not defensive self-presentation tactics. Vulnerable narcissism was associated with heightened use of both assertive and defensive self-presentation tactics. Overall, narcissists' utilization of self-presentation tactics seemed largely rational: grandiose narcissists assumed that assertive self-presentation tactics were more effective (Study 1), and both grandiose and vulnerable narcissists did not over-utilize tactics that convey identity images inconsistent with their narcissistic identity (Studies 1 and 2). Self-presentation is central to narcissism, and the present findings offer the first empirical evidence for a descriptive profile of self-presentation tactics that are most typical of grandiose and vulnerable narcissists.