A Glimpse into Narcissus Daily Life: Exploring the Daily Covariation of Narcissistic States

According to clinical theory and advanced empirical research, narcissistic personality states fluctuate over time. However, the understanding of these fluctuations remains limited. In order to expand empirical knowledge on this topic, we recruited 88 undergraduates to complete baseline measures and respond to smartphone prompts assessing narcissistic states and emotions in daily life seven times a day for 10 days. Narcissistic states were assessed using a state-adapted version of the Super Brief Pathological Narcissism Inventory (SB-PNI). Results indicated a wide range of within-person covariation of narcissistic states, spanning from -.55 to .52. Moreover, within-person covariation was negatively associated with trait grandiosity, guilt, and mood activation. Additional analyses revealed a significant quadratic relationship between narcissistic covariation and trait vulnerability and between narcissistic covariation and mean state vulnerability, self-esteem, pleasant and activated mood, and shame across 10 days. These findings indicate the existence of state intra-individual differences and suggest a potential state-based dynamic taxonomy of narcissistic presentations. In conclusion, results highlight the clinical relevance of understanding distinctions between co-occurring, contrasting, and dissociated narcissistic states.