Distinguishing communal narcissism from agentic narcissism: A behavior genetics analysis on the agency–communion model of narcissism

• Communal narcissism is moderately heritable.
• Agentic narcissism and communal narcissism are overall genetically independent.
• Environments underlying communal and agentic narcissism are largely different.
• Communal narcissism associates with agentic narcissism largely by genes.

This article examined the genetic and environmental bases of the newly proposed agency–communion model of narcissism. The model distinguishes between agentic narcissism and communal narcissism. The sample comprised 304 pairs of twins. Genes explained 47% and 25% of the variance in agentic and communal narcissism, respectively; shared environments contributed 0% and 15%, respectively, to agentic and communal narcissism, with non-shared environments accounting for the remaining portions. Although some common genes and environments influenced agentic and communal narcissism simultaneously, most genetic (68%) and environmental (94%) influences on agentic and communal narcissism were unique. These findings provide novel evidence for the theoretical plausibility of communal narcissism as well as its relatedness to and distinctiveness from agentic narcissism, supporting the agency–communion narcissism model.