A cross-sample examination of lay rater perceptions of narcissistic grandiosity and vulnerability and their correlates.

We used data from 444 undergraduates and 375 adults recruited online to evaluate lay raters' perceptions of vignettes described as having high levels of narcissistic traits. Participants were presented with vignettes describing someone with grandiose narcissistic characteristics only (e.g., someone who is arrogant), followed by vignettes describing someone with both grandiose and vulnerable narcissistic features (e.g., feeling insecure). Our primary aims focused on determining the extent to which (a) lay raters viewed narcissistic grandiosity and vulnerability as interconnected and (b) how attitudes toward vignettes varied as a function of the vulnerable and grandiose characteristics in the vignette descriptions. We also examined associations between lay raters' self-rated personality (assessed using the Narcissistic Admiration and Rivalry Questionnaire and the Big Five Inventory-2) and their vignette perceptions. Lay raters rated the vignette described as having only grandiose features as being prone to experiencing vulnerability. Furthermore, lay raters had more favorable views of the vignette including descriptions of both grandiose and vulnerable features (versus grandiose features alone). Likability and sympathy ratings did not vary based on the name used for vignettes (i.e., using the name "James" versus "Mary"). Finally, lay raters' self-rated traits showed some interesting associations with their vignette perceptions, but generally associations were weak in magnitude. Collectively, our findings indicate that lay raters perceive grandiosity and vulnerability as overlapping, and co-occurring grandiosity and vulnerability (versus grandiosity alone) may represent a more sympathetic view of narcissism. Determining the extent to which these attitudes influence real-world interactions would be useful for extending our findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]