Men Are More Narcissistic Than Women

A recent study in the Psychological Bulletin shows that men are more prone to being narcissistic than women.

The research doesn’t mean that women can’t be narcissistic, explains Scott Krakower, DO, assistant unit chief of psychiatry at Zucker Hillside Hospital in Glen Oaks.

“We should only interpret this as research, as clinically both genders are certainly capable of having narcissism,” Dr. Krakower said.

Although narcissism generally has a negative connotation, Dr. Krakower said it can have its benefits.

“Some forms of narcissism can be healthy, as the ego helps to promote self-growth, awareness, and sustainable goals,” Dr. Krakower said. “However, some individuals lack the ability to modulate this healthy response and this may lead to unhealthy consequences. When this response is unhealthy, narcissists display a sense of power and control over others with little or no remorse. They usually lack empathy, have difficulty sustaining relationships, have difficulty with boundaries and often flatter themselves with their own ego.”

People should also be aware that narcissism is complex and has several components.

“In particular, a narcissistic injury can occur when one feels threatened,” Dr. Krakower said. “This often leads to anger, aggression and depression. Interestingly, there were no gender differences with vulnerable narcissism, i.e. introversion, neuroticim and low self-esteem in this study.”