Narcissism and punitiveness in a non-ego-threatening condition

Punitiveness of overt and covert narcissists was examined in a non-ego-threatening condition. In judging fictitious criminal cases, high scorers in overt narcissism were as punitive as low scorers; this result was independent of crime severity. For covert narcissism, however, high scorers were more punitive toward a serious crime and more lenient toward a mild crime, when compared to low scorers. This study provides pioneering data on narcissists’ punitive judgments in the absence of ego threat, which has been overlooked by previous research. The findings not only support the theoretical distinction between the overt and covert subtypes of narcissism, but also help clarify the meaning of punishment to narcissists.

► The main effect of overt narcissism on punitiveness is not significant.
► High scorers in covert narcissism are more punitive than low scorers in the severe crime condition.
► High scorers in covert narcissism are more lenient than low scorers in the mild crime condition.