NARCISSISM AND ACADEMIC WRITING —

Research Focus and Rationale

• Writing is a central academic activity; literature links personality traits to writing quality is limited.

• Narcissism: lack of empathy, grandiosity, constant need for admiration.

• Prior findings hint at mixed academic outcomes: higher narcissism linked to higher grades but poorer learning and potential cheating tendencies.

• Some evidence suggests narcissists may perform better on oral tasks and perhaps on creative writing tasks due to grandiosity and need for admiration.

Narcissism and Academic Writing: Key Concepts

• Grandiose narcissism may drive overconfidence, self-presentation, and a preference for impactful but potentially superficial writing.

• Narcissism may influence writing style: verbosity, use of sophisticated vocabulary, and presentation over substance.

• Possible links to cheating or AI use in writing tasks; speed and efficiency may be prioritized over deep learning.

• Quotes linking narcissism to creative or high-status writing support the idea of differential effects by task type.

Predictions/Hypotheses

• Hypothesized significant differences in writing tendencies between high and low narcissists.

• Predictions include: higher narcissism linked to time-efficient writing, greater reliance on self-judgment, and preferences for presentation over substance.

Methods

• Participants

  • N = 39 undergraduates (21 females, 15 males, 2 declined, 1 non-binary) from Trinity University, San Antonio, TX.

  • Most were Freshmen (77%); age M = 19.2, SD = 1.02; native English speakers approx. 84%.

• Materials and Measures

  • Qualtrics survey delivering a 30-item Narcissistic Admiration and Rivalry Questionnaire (NARQ) by Back et al. (2013).

  • NARQ measures two dimensions: Admiration and Rivalry.

  • Additional survey links provided for extra credit.

  • Analysis performed with Jamovi.

• Procedure

  • Participants completed demographics, then 55 dichotomous-choice prompts (this or that) on a 5-point scale to reduce overclaiming by narcissists.

  • Followed by writing-related questions on a 6-point scale.

  • NARQ administered toward the end to avoid priming.

  • Debriefed with general personality focus and given an extra credit link.

Measures

• NARQ: 30 items; two-factor model: Admiration and Rivalry (Back et al., 2013).

• Writing orientation and attitudes: items on speed vs elegance, trust in own vs others’ sources, reading/writing habits, and use of AI.

• Demographics: age, gender, race, major, language, year, etc.

Data Analysis

• Statistical approach: Pearson's r correlations (df = N − 2 = 37 for N = 39).

• Significance reported with p-values alongside correlation coefficients.

Results

• Significant correlations (n = 39; df = 37):

  • Procrastinate due to confidence vs narcissism: $r(37) = -0.388, p = 0.015$

  • Reread once before submitting vs narcissism: $r(37) = -0.368, p = 0.021$

  • Trust own judgment vs trust other sources: $r(37) = -0.366, p = 0.024$

  • Think ideas are better than they are vs narcissism: $r(37) = -0.322, p = 0.046$

  • Value unusual words vs simple language: $r(37) = -0.412, p = 0.009$

• Not statistically significant but notable trends (n = 39; df = 37):

  • Convey gist vs nuances: $r(37) = -0.293, p = 0.071$

  • Being provocative vs avoiding controversy: $r(37) = -0.295, p = 0.069$

  • Creativity vs analytical: $r(37) = -0.283, p = 0.080$

  • Integrity/honesty vs effectiveness/impact: $r(37) = 0.283, p = 0.081$

  • Writing long essays vs short: $r(37) = -0.301, p = 0.62$

  • Great at writing vs great at math: $r(37) = -0.310, p = 0.055$

Discussion and Implications

• Higher narcissism associated with greater self-confidence, linking to faster or less thorough editing (e.g., fewer rereads).

• Greater reliance on self-judgment over external sources among higher narcissists.

• Higher narcissism linked to overestimating own ideas and valuing provocative or creative writing over precision or analytical depth.

• Findings align with grandiosity aspects of narcissism and may explain tendencies to display intelligence via vocabulary or creativity.

• Possible explanation for creativity-focused writing advantages in narcissists; potential risk of reduced learning emphasis and higher cheating risk (supporting AI-use predictions).

Limitations and Future Directions

• Only 5 of 55 items reached statistical significance; small sample size limits power.

• Sample tended to have low narcissism levels (M = 2.71, SD = 0.513 on the NARQ scale), which may mask differences.

• Writing situations were not highly specific; future work should use concrete writing contexts and actual samples.

• Recommend behavioral studies with actual writing tasks and samples to validate associations.

Conclusions

• There is evidence for some differences in writing tendencies between higher and lower narcissism individuals, particularly in editing habits, reliance on self-judgment, and word choice.

• The study provides a stepping-stone toward understanding how narcissism shapes academic writing and highlights areas for deeper investigation.

References (selected)

• Ayachi, J. (2015). Writers and Narcissism. Poetry School.

• Back, M. D., Küfner, A. C. P., Dufner, M., Gerlach, T. M., Rauthmann, J. F., & Denissen, J. J. A. (2013). Narcissistic Admiration and Rivalry: Disentangling the Bright and Dark Sides of Narcissism. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 105(6), 1013–1037.

• Esteves, G. G. L., Oliveira, L. S., de Andrade, J. M. M., & Menezes, M. P. (2021). Dark Triad Predicts Academic Cheating. Personality and Individual Differences, 171, 110513.

• Mitra, P., Torrico, T. J., & Fluyau, D. (2025). Narcissistic Personality Disorder. StatPearls.

• Rao, D., Blake, A., Baker, A., & Wallace, H. (2025). Narcissistic Students Are Perceived to Exploit Academic Reward Systems.

• Wright, W. W. (1980). Teaching Writing in the Age of Narcissism. The English Journal, 69(8), 26–29.

This study investigates the underexplored relationship between personality traits, specifically narcissism, and academic writing tendencies. While prior research suggests mixed academic outcomes for narcissists, their impact on writing quality and approach remains less understood. Drawing on characteristics of grandiose narcissism, such as overconfidence and a need for admiration, the study hypothesized significant differences in writing behaviors between individuals with high and low narcissism.

Employing a Qualtrics survey, 39 undergraduates completed the Narcissistic Admiration and Rivalry Questionnaire (NARQ) alongside various writing-related questions assessing attitudes toward editing, source judgment, word choice, and perceived writing ability. Data analysis utilized Pearson's r correlations.

Preliminary results indicated several significant associations: higher narcissism correlated with reduced rereading, greater reliance on self-judgment, overestimation of personal ideas, and a preference for unusual vocabulary. These findings align with theoretical aspects of grandiose narcissism, suggesting implications for academic integrity and learning approaches. The study acknowledges limitations, including a small sample size and generally low narcissism levels, and proposes future behavioral studies with actual writing tasks to validate these initial associations.

In conclusion, this research serves as a foundational step toward understanding how narcissism influences academic writing processes, highlighting areas for deeper investigation into editing habits, self-assessment, and stylistic preferences.