Vulnerable past, grandiose present: The relationship between vulnerable and grandiose narcissism, time perspective and personality

Previous investigations showed that there are significant differences between grandiose and vulnerable narcissism. In the present study associations between the two types of narcissism, time perspective (TP) and the five factor model of personality were examined. The two forms of narcissism were associated with different TP profiles. Specifically, grandiose narcissists exhibited high present hedonistic orientation. This result was significant after controlling for extraversion, and was consistent with grandiose narcissists' tendency toward risk-taking, impulsive behavior, and little consideration for future consequences. Vulnerable narcissists showed higher levels of past negative, present fatalistic and present hedonistic TPs. Controlling for personality traits (extraversion, emotional stability and agreeableness), past negative and present hedonism remained significant predictors of vulnerable narcissism. Moreover, when the two types of narcissism have been analyzed together in one model as predictors of hedonism, only grandiose narcissism predicted hedonistic orientation. Additionally, vulnerable narcissism was positively correlated with Deviation from Balanced Time Perspective, meaning that vulnerable narcissists manifest less balanced TP.