Are parenting practices associated with the development of narcissism? Findings from a longitudinal study of Mexican-origin youth

• We investigated the longitudinal relations between parenting and narcissism.
• Data from a sample of Mexican-origin youth spanning ages 12–16 were analyzed.
• Parental hostility was associated with higher levels of exploitativeness at age 14.
• Parental monitoring was associated with lower levels of exploitativeness at age 14.
• None of the parenting dimensions was related to superiority.
• Findings replicated across child-report, spouse-report, and behavioral codings.

Narcissism is an important and consequential aspect of personality, yet we know little about its developmental origins. Using data from a longitudinal study of 674 Mexican-origin families, we examined cross-lagged relations between parenting behaviors (warmth, hostility, monitoring) and narcissism (superiority, exploitativeness). Parental hostility at age 12 was associated with higher levels of exploitativeness at age 14, whereas parental monitoring at age 12 was associated with lower levels of exploitativeness at age 14. These effects replicated across three different parenting measures: child reports, spouse reports, and behavioral coding of parent-child interactions. None of the parenting dimensions was related to superiority, suggesting that parenting practices are more strongly related to the maladaptive than the adaptive component of narcissism.