Study on narcissism and the sexes
Published in the March edition of the online journal Psychological Bulletin and titled “Gender differences in narcissism: A meta-analytic review,” the study is from researchers at the University of Buffalo School of Management. They came to their conclusions by examining “more than 355 journal articles, dissertations, manuscripts and technical manuals” and from those studying the “gender differences in the three aspects of narcissism: leadership/authority, grandiose/exhibitionism and entitlement.”
This tendency of men to be narcissistic has been maintained over decades, they found, and the age of a man does not seem to matter. On average men tended to have a greater degree of self-importance and are less-likely to have empathy for others. They are also more likely to exploit others to reach their goals.
“Narcissism is associated with various interpersonal dysfunctions, including an inability to maintain healthy long-term relationships, unethical behaviour and aggression,” lead author Emily Grijalva said in a press release. “At the same time, narcissism is shown to boost self-esteem, emotional stability and the tendency to emerge as a leader.”
Vanity and men and women
They note that tendencies come from roles assigned by society. “Individuals tend to observe and learn gender roles from a young age, and may face backlash for deviating from society’s expectations,” Grijalva said.
“In particular, women often receive harsh criticism for being aggressive or authoritative, which creates pressure for women, more so than for men, to suppress displays of narcissistic behavior.”
One aspect of narcissism in which they found no difference in the behaviour of men and women relates to conceit. While Grijalva said “compared with women, men exhibit more assertiveness and desire for power” she also said they found “no difference in the exhibitionism aspect (of narcissism), meaning both genders are equally likely to display vanity or self-absorption.”