Narcissistic Personality Disorder
Personality Disorders: Theory, Research, and Treatment
2010, Vol. 1, No. 3, 192–194
© 2010 American Psychological Association
1949-2715/10/$12.00 DOI: 10.1037/a0020199
COMMENTARIES
In Defense of Narcissistic Personality Traits
Thomas A. Widiger
University of Kentucky
Miller and Campbell (pp. 180 –191, this issue) provide an informative discussion of the importance of considering narcissistic personality trait research when attempting to understand narcissistic personality disorder. Their arguments might seem so straightforward and compelling that they are hardly worth presenting.
However, it does seem that this considerable body of literature is at times neglected, if not ignored. Although authors of some review papers and chapters on narcissistic personality disorder do represent well the narcissistic personality trait research (e.g., Pincus & Lukowitsky, in press;
Ronningstam, 2005), others have focused less on this research (e.g., Levy, Reynoso, Wasserman, & Clarkin, 2007; Millon et al., 1996; Millon, Grossman, Millon, Meagher, & Ramnath,
2004). The lack of recognition of this literature can have dire complications. Narcissistic personality disorder has been proposed for deletion from the American Psychiatric Association’s
(APA) diagnostic manual, whereas the avoidant and obsessive– compulsive personality disorders would be retained (Skodol, 2009; Skodol &
Bender, 2009). One must presume that this proposal is based largely on the relative amount of empirical support (Regier, Narrow, Kuhl, &
Kupfer, 2009), but this is difficult to understand if the review of the literature concerning narcissistic personality disorder included the many
To see further discussion of the Target Conceptual Article,
Commentaries, and Author Response, as well as to contribute to the ongoing dialogue on this topic, please visit our
Online Forum at http://pdtrtonline.apa.org.
empirical studies that have been conducted on trait narcissism.
What
2010, Vol. 1, No. 3, 192–194
© 2010 American Psychological Association
1949-2715/10/$12.00 DOI: 10.1037/a0020199
COMMENTARIES
In Defense of Narcissistic Personality Traits
Thomas A. Widiger
University of Kentucky
Miller and Campbell (pp. 180 –191, this issue) provide an informative discussion of the importance of considering narcissistic personality trait research when attempting to understand narcissistic personality disorder. Their arguments might seem so straightforward and compelling that they are hardly worth presenting.
However, it does seem that this considerable body of literature is at times neglected, if not ignored. Although authors of some review papers and chapters on narcissistic personality disorder do represent well the narcissistic personality trait research (e.g., Pincus & Lukowitsky, in press;
Ronningstam, 2005), others have focused less on this research (e.g., Levy, Reynoso, Wasserman, & Clarkin, 2007; Millon et al., 1996; Millon, Grossman, Millon, Meagher, & Ramnath,
2004). The lack of recognition of this literature can have dire complications. Narcissistic personality disorder has been proposed for deletion from the American Psychiatric Association’s
(APA) diagnostic manual, whereas the avoidant and obsessive– compulsive personality disorders would be retained (Skodol, 2009; Skodol &
Bender, 2009). One must presume that this proposal is based largely on the relative amount of empirical support (Regier, Narrow, Kuhl, &
Kupfer, 2009), but this is difficult to understand if the review of the literature concerning narcissistic personality disorder included the many
To see further discussion of the Target Conceptual Article,
Commentaries, and Author Response, as well as to contribute to the ongoing dialogue on this topic, please visit our
Online Forum at http://pdtrtonline.apa.org.
empirical studies that have been conducted on trait narcissism.
What
References: Blashfield, R. K., & Intoccia, V. (2000). Growth of the literature on the topic of personality disorders. Cain, N. M., Pincus, A. L., & Ansell, E. B. (2008). (1991). Narcissistic personality disorder: A review of data on DSM–III–R descriptions Miller, J. D., & Campbell, W. K. (2010). The case for using research on trait narcissism as a building Morf, C. C., & Rhodewalt, F. (2001). Unraveling the paradoxes of narcissism: A dynamic self-regulatory processing model Raskin, R. N., & Hall, Calvin, S. (1979). A narcissistic personality inventory. Psychological Reports, 45, 590. Raskin, R. N., & Hall, Calvin, S. (1981). The narcissistic personality inventory: Alternate form reliability and further evidence of construct validity. Ronningstam, E. (2005). Narcissistic personality disorder. In M. Maj, J. E. Mezzich, H. S. Akiskal, & A Samuel, D. B., & Widiger, T. A. (2008). Convergence of narcissism measures from the perspective of general personality functioning Skodol, A. (2009, August). Emerging DSM-V perspectives on personality disorders. Plenary address presented at the eleventh annual meeting of the Skodol, A., & Bender, D. (2009, August). Workshop on the dimensional vs