Origins of Narcissism in Children

Eddie Brummelman, Research Institute of Child Development and Education, Department of Educational Sciences, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Sander Thomaes, Department of Developmental Psychology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands; Center for Research on Self and Identity, Department of Psychology, University of Southampton, England.
Stefanie A. Nelemans, Research Centre Adolescent Development, Department of Youth and Family, Utrecht University, The Netherlands.
Bram Orobio de Castro, Department of Developmental Psychology, Utrecht University, The Netherlands.
Geertjan Overbeek, Research Institute of Child Development and Education, Department of Educational Sciences, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Brad J. Bushman, Department of Communication and Psychology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio; Department of Communication Science, VU University Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Increasing levels of narcissism among Western youth contributing to societal problems like aggression and violence.
Limited understanding of origins of narcissism.
Report findings present the first prospective longitudinal evidence on the origins of narcissism in children.

Two contrasting theories investigated: - Social Learning Theory: Proposes narcissism is cultivated by parental overvaluation. - Parental overvaluation leads to inflated self-views in children, making them feel special and entitled. - Psychoanalytic Theory: Suggests narcissism results from lack of parental warmth. - Lack of affection, appreciation, and positive affect leads children to seek approval externally, fostering narcissistic traits.

Timing: Study conducted in late childhood (ages 7-12) — a phase when individual differences in narcissism begin to emerge.
Participants: 565 children and their parents (415 mothers, 290 fathers).
Structure: Four 6-month waves collecting data on child narcissism, self-esteem, parental overvaluation, and parental warmth.
Analysis: Cross-lagged panel models conducted in Mplus v7.11 to determine predictive relationships.

Support for Social Learning Theory; narcissism predicted by parental overvaluation, not by lack of parental warmth.
Data Results: - Paternal overvaluation predicted child narcissism at a later wave (B = 0.066, P = 0.021). - Maternal overvaluation also predicted child narcissism (B = 0.068, P = 0.003).

Self-esteem predicted by parental warmth, contrary to predictions made by Psychoanalytic Theory.
Data Results: - Child-reported paternal warmth predicted child self-esteem (B = 0.108, P < 0.001). - Child-reported maternal warmth predicted child self-esteem (B = 0.064, P = 0.019).
Lack of parental warmth did not predict narcissism at later waves (P values > 0.276).

Findings suggest narcissism is rooted in parental overvaluation rather than lack of warmth.
Self-Esteem vs. Narcissism: - High self-esteem is defined as thinking positively about oneself, whereas narcissism involves a desperate desire to believe one is great. - Narcissism is related to higher levels of aggression and risk of mental health issues.
Importance of parental influence in shaping narcissistic traits and the role of perceived social acceptance in self-esteem development.

Potential for parent-training interventions to prevent or reduce narcissism in children by promoting parental warmth without overvaluation.
Educational approaches addressing parental values and methods for raising self-esteem without raising narcissism are crucial.
The prospective association between parental overvaluation and narcissism should become a focal point for future intervention designs.