Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI-16)

Abstract

The Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI-16) is a widely utilized short-form measure designed to assess subclinical narcissism in non-clinical populations. Developed and validated by Ames, Rose, and Anderson (2006) as an abbreviated version of the original 40-item Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI) created by Raskin and Hall (1979), the NPI-16 consists of 16 forced-choice items. This instrument is highly valued in personality research for its brevity and psychometric properties, allowing for efficient screening of narcissistic traits such as grandiosity, entitlement, and exploitativeness in large-scale studies. The NPI-16 maintains strong correlations with the full NPI while significantly reducing administration time.

Keywords

Narcissism, NPI-16, Personality Inventory, Psychological Assessment, Subclinical Traits, Entitlement, Grandiosity, Self-Report Scale

Authors

The original Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI) was developed by R. N. Raskin and C. S. Hall (1979, 1981), and later refined through factor analysis by Raskin and Terry (1988). The specific 16-item short form (NPI-16) was validated and promoted by Daniel R. Ames, Paul Rose, and Cameron P. Anderson (2006).

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Purpose

The primary purpose of the NPI-16 is to provide a quick and reliable measure of narcissism, specifically focusing on the non-pathological, or subclinical, expression of narcissistic traits within the general population. Due to its conciseness, the NPI-16 is often employed in research settings where time constraints necessitate a brief, yet psychometrically sound, measure of personality variables. It is used to quantify individual differences in traits associated with self-admiration, superiority, and the desire for power and authority.

This abbreviated scale is particularly useful for studying the relationship between narcissistic tendencies and various outcomes, including leadership performance, interpersonal conflict, and academic achievement, serving as an effective alternative to the longer 40-item version when measuring global narcissism is the goal.

Construct

The NPI-16 measures the construct of subclinical narcissism, which is characterized by a pervasive pattern of grandiosity, a need for admiration, and a lack of empathy, but without meeting the diagnostic criteria for Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) as defined in the DSM. While the original NPI measures seven distinct facets, the NPI-16 is typically used to capture the overall, global factor of narcissism, which encapsulates these dimensions:

• Authority: The desire for power and influence over others.
• Self-Sufficiency: Belief in one’s independence and competence.
• Superiority: A belief that one is generally better than others.
• Exhibitionism: The desire to be the center of attention and show off.
• Vanity: Excessive concern with physical appearance and dress.
• Entitlement: The expectation of special treatment.
• Exploitativeness: The willingness to take advantage of others.

Although the NPI-16 correlates highly with the overall NPI score, researchers often treat the NPI-16 as a reliable single-factor measure of grandiosity and entitlement, which are core components of narcissism.

Validity

The validation study conducted by Ames, Rose, and Anderson (2006) demonstrated strong evidence for the construct validity of the NPI-16. The short form showed high correlations (typically r > .90) with the total score of the original 40-item NPI, indicating it effectively measures the same underlying construct. Furthermore, the NPI-16 exhibited similar patterns of correlations with external variables, such as self-esteem, agency, and communal traits, as the full scale.

The scale’s validity is supported by its capacity to predict behavioral outcomes typically associated with narcissism, such as aggressive behavior and self-enhancement tendencies, validating its use as a brief, yet powerful, proxy for the longer inventory.

Reliability

The NPI-16 demonstrates acceptable internal consistency reliability, especially considering its brevity. Ames et al. (2006) reported adequate Cronbach’s alpha coefficients, suggesting that the 16 items reliably measure a cohesive construct. While the internal consistency is naturally lower than the 40-item NPI due to fewer items, the NPI-16 maintains a high degree of alternate-form reliability and test-retest reliability, confirming its stability and consistency across repeated administrations.

Factor Analysis

The original 40-item NPI was subjected to extensive factor analysis, which typically identifies four major factors (Leadership/Authority, Grandiose Exhibitionism, Entitlement/Exploitativeness, and Vanity). When the 16 items constituting the NPI-16 were selected, they were chosen primarily for their high factor loadings on the general, overarching factor of narcissism.

Ames et al. (2006) confirmed that the NPI-16 functions effectively as a unidimensional measure of global narcissism. While the short form can be used to capture some underlying dimensions, its primary strength lies in efficiently measuring the overall construct, making it ideal for studies prioritizing predictive power over detailed factor analysis.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report Personality Assessment Scale

Format: 16-item forced-choice format (dichotomous responses A or B)

Language Available: Primarily English, with translations available for research use in numerous other languages.

Population Group: Non-clinical populations

Age Group: Adolescents and Adults (typically college-age students and older)

Population Details: Widely used in social and personality psychology research, particularly with student samples and general community samples.

Test Methodology: Respondents choose the statement in each pair (A or B) that they MOST AGREE with or which is least objectionable/remote. Only one answer is marked per pair. The score is the total number of narcissistic choices selected. The scoring key indicates the narcissistic response for each item.

Keywords

Psychometrics, Personality Trait, Forced-choice, Grandiose Narcissism, Social Psychology, Raskin, Ames, NPI

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Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not consistently available for all authors in the source materials.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not provided in the source materials.

Correspondence Address: Not provided in the source materials.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The original NPI was first published in 1979 by Raskin and Hall. The NPI-16 short form validation was published in 2006 by Ames, Rose, and Anderson. The NPI is generally available for non-commercial academic research without a fee, though users should confirm specific permissions with the authors or the journal publisher. The instrument is often freely available online, for example, at: http://www.columbia.edu/havingda358/npi16/

Reference’s

• Ames, Daniel R., Rose, Paul, and Anderson, Cameron P. (2006). The NPI-16 as a short measure of narcissism. Journal of Research in Personality, 40, 440-450.
• Raskin, R. N., & Hall, C. S. (1979). A narcissistic personality inventory. Psychological Reports, 45, 590.
• Raskin, R. N., & Hall, C. S. (1981). The Narcissistic Personality Inventory: Alternate form reliability and further evidence of construct validity. Journal of Personality Assessment, 45, 159-162.
• Raskin, R. N., & Terry, H. (1988). A principle components analysis of the Narcissistic Personality Inventory and further evidence of its construct validity. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 54, 890-902.

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Items of the Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI- 16)

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

In each of the following pairs of attitudes, choose the one that you MOST AGREE with. Mark your answer by writing EITHER A or B in the space provided. If you do not identify with either statement, select the one which is least objectionable or remote. In other words, read each pair of statements and then choose the one that is closer to your own feelings. Only mark ONE ANSWER for each attitude pair.

NPI-16 Key (Narcissistic choices are scored 1 point):

A: 1, 3, 6, 8, 9, 11, 14, 16

B: 2, 4, 5, 7, 10, 12, 13, 15