EFFECTS OF NARCISSISTIC PERSONALITY ORGANIZATION ON CAUSAL ATTRIBUTIONS

The present study addressed a central, although neglected, aspect of research into narcissism and attributions, the role of cognitive-perceptual processes and cognitive styles of individuals with narcissistic personality disorder in their causal explanation of events. The extent to which narcissistic personality organization may be a determinant of attributional style was examined. The sample consisted of 20 individuals with narcissistic personality disorders and 20 with neurotic disorders. Participants completed the Narcissistic Personality Inventory-40 and the Attributional Style Questionnaire. A significant association between narcissistic personality disorder and internal, stable attributions for positive outcomes was observed. The reformulated learned helplessness model of depression was used to interpret the attributional style of the narcissists as means to obliterate experience of helplessness. The results are discussed in terms of the role of self-esteem and maintenance of self-presentation in the skewed attributional biases of narcissists.