A comparison of dimensions of self-concept and adjustment in adaptive and maladaptive narcissistic persons

This study examines the role of self-concept and social and emotional compatibility in individuals who are narcissistis. The research design is a descriptive research and causal - comparative’s method. Thus, the target population of 250 undergraduate students of Tehran University as a random cluster sample technique was chosen. Tools used in this study were narcissistic personality’s scale Raskin & Hall, 1979, 1988), Rogers's self-concept scale and (Rogers, 1957), Bell’s compatibility questionnaire (Bell, 1961), that all Participants responded to it. After data collection, the sample persons were divided in two equal groups of boys and girls with adaptive and maladaptive narcissism. To review the research hypotheses, Pearson chi-square test and linear regression were used. The first hypothesis test results showed that self-concept and narcissism among people of both adaptive and maladaptive groups don't have the same meaning. This means that people with adaptive narcissism had a more positive self-concept and those with maladaptive narcissism, had a more negative self-concept. Therefore, the first hypothesis of research was confirmed. In the second hypothesis investigation, linear regression model showed that self- concept is effective in predicting the narcissism. This means that changes in people's self-concept would change their narcissism. Therefore, the second hypothesis was confirmed too. In the third hypothesis, the result of Pearson chi-square test showed a smaller significant level of less than 0.05 in order to study the relationship between self-concept and social and emotional compatibility, which means that there is a positive relationship between these variables. The result of Pearson chi-square tests also showed a significant level smaller than 0.05 in orders to examine differences between emotional and social compatibility adaptive and maladaptive narcissism. In fact, the emotional and social compatibility in adaptive narcissism was more than the one in maladaptive narcissism. Examining the peripheral hypothesis of research that studied about differences between self-concept and narcissistic in boys and girls using Pearson chi-square test, did not show any significant difference between two groups. In other words, self-concept in boys and girls did not differ and narcissism was not significantly different in two groups. Therefore, the peripheral hypothesis of research was not confirmed.