Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI)

Abstract

The Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI) is the most widely used measure in social and personality psychology for assessing subclinical or non-pathological narcissism in the general population. Developed initially by Raskin and Hall (1979, 1981), the NPI is based on the diagnostic criteria for Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) outlined in the third edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-III). However, it primarily measures trait narcissism rather than clinical pathology. The inventory employs a forced-choice format, requiring respondents to select between a narcissistic statement and a non-narcissistic statement across 40 pairs, providing a comprehensive score reflecting grandiose and exhibitionistic aspects of the construct.

Keywords

Narcissistic Personality Inventory, NPI, Narcissism, Personality Assessment, Grandiosity, Entitlement, Exhibitionism, Self-Sufficiency, Psychological Measurement.

Authors

Robert N. Raskin, Calvin S. Hall, Howard Terry.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI) is to measure individual differences in trait narcissism, specifically focusing on the grandiose, overt, or exhibitionistic dimension of the construct. It was designed to quantify narcissistic tendencies in non-clinical adult populations, distinguishing those with high levels of self-regard, dominance, and vanity from others. The scale is frequently utilized in research to explore how narcissistic traits correlate with various social behaviors, academic performance, leadership styles, and interpersonal relationships.

Construct

The NPI measures narcissism as a multidimensional personality construct, encompassing traits like excessive self-love, grandiosity, and entitlement, but stopping short of measuring the pathological impairment characteristic of Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD). Early research identified four main components, later refined into seven facets that capture distinct, yet correlated, aspects of the narcissistic self-view. These facets reflect a pervasive pattern of grandiosity (in fantasy or behavior), a need for admiration, and a lack of empathy.

Validity

The NPI has demonstrated strong evidence of construct validity across numerous studies. It correlates positively with measures of self-esteem, extraversion, and dominance, while showing negative correlations with agreeableness and neuroticism, aligning with theoretical expectations of grandiose narcissism. Furthermore, studies, such as those by Foster and Campbell (2007), have examined the dimensional structure of the NPI using taxometric analyses, confirming that while the construct is continuous in the general population, the scale effectively captures the spectrum of narcissistic traits. The predictive validity is evident in its ability to forecast behaviors such as exhibitionism, aggression, and risky decision-making.

Reliability

The internal consistency of the Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI) is generally considered acceptable to good. Cronbach’s alpha coefficients for the full 40-item scale typically range from .80 to .90 across diverse samples, indicating high reliability. The scale also exhibits strong test-retest reliability over short periods, suggesting that the narcissistic traits measured are stable characteristics of the individual. Reliability analyses for the specific subscales (facets) are more variable, but overall, the NPI is a reliable tool for measuring global, grandiose narcissism.

Factor Analysis

Initial factor analysis by Raskin and Terry (1988) identified four primary factors, but subsequent principal components analysis and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) studies often support a multidimensional structure. The most commonly cited seven-factor structure, derived from the original item pool, breaks down the construct into the following specific facets:

• Authority: Belief in one’s capacity for leadership and desire for power.
• Self-Sufficiency: Confidence in one’s own judgment and independence from others.
• Superiority: Belief that one is inherently better than others.
• Exhibitionism: Desire to be the center of attention and show off.
• Vanity: Excessive concern with physical appearance and admiration.
• Entitlement: Expectation of special favors and automatic compliance.
• Exploitativeness: Willingness to take advantage of others for personal gain.

While the overall NPI score reflects global narcissism, researchers often utilize these seven facets to understand specific behavioral manifestations of the trait. However, some newer scales, such as those examined by Miller, Price, and Campbell (2011), advocate for focusing specifically on the separate constructs of grandiosity and entitlement.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report personality assessment.

Format: Forced-choice format (40 pairs of statements, where the respondent chooses the statement that is closer to their own feelings). Scoring yields a total score ranging from 0 to 40.

Language Available: Primarily English, with translations available and validated in many languages including German, Spanish, Chinese, and Turkish.

Population Group: General, non-clinical population.

Age Group: Adolescents (college age) through adulthood.

Population Details: The NPI is most frequently administered to college students and community samples, providing a measure of dispositional narcissism distinct from clinical Narcissistic Personality Disorder.

Test Methodology: Respondents are presented with 40 pairs of statements. For each pair (A and B), one statement is indicative of a narcissistic trait, and the other is not. The respondent selects the statement they most agree with. The total score is the count of narcissistic choices made.

Keywords

Psychological reports, Personality and Social Psychology, Trait theory, Raskin and Hall, Subclinical narcissism, Forced-choice inventory, Grandiose narcissism, Narcissistic traits.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: N/A (ORCIDs not standard practice at the time of initial publication).

Affiliation Email addresses: Information not provided in source material.

Correspondence Address: Information not provided in source material.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The NPI is generally considered to be in the public domain for research use, especially the standard 40-item version, although researchers should always cite the original Raskin and Hall (1979) or Raskin and Terry (1988) papers. The initial versions were published in 1979 and 1981, with the refined 40-item version being the standard for research use following the 1988 factor analysis. The instrument, including scoring instructions, is often reproduced in academic theses and publications for free use. The scale items were found in the document “Anger Management in College Students: A Latent Class Analysis,” a Ph.D. Dissertation by Matthew Macleod Orbll (2013). The original PDF can be downloaded here: http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-02012007-160430/unrestricted/FinalThesis.pdf.

Reference’s

The following references are key to the development and validation of the NPI:

• 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.
• Foster, J. D., & Campbell, W. K. (2007). Are there such things as “narcissists” in social psychology? A taxometric analysis of the Narcissistic Personality Inventory. Personality and Individual Differences, 43, 1321-1332.
• Miller, J. D., Price, J., & Campbell, K. W. (2011). Is the Narcissistic Personality Inventory still relevant? A test of independent grandiosity and entitlement scales in the assessment of narcissism. Assessment, 19(8), 8-13.
• Twenge, J. M., Konrath, S., Foster, J. D., Campbell, K. W., & Bushman, B. (2008). Egos inflating over time: A cross-temporal meta-analysis of the Narcissistic Personality Inventory. Journal of Personality, 76(4), 875-901.
• Orbll, Matthew. Macleod, (2013). Anger Management in College Students: A Latent Class Analysis. University of Georgia. Ph.D. Dissertation. [email protected].

Items of the Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI)

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.