The Role of Early Cognitive Schemas in Prediction of Narcissism

Aim and Schemas are defined as organized elements of reactions and experiences in the past that form an enduring body of knowledge so that they could influence and evaluate later perceptions. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the role of early cognitive schemas on narcissism trait.
Methods and Materials: This study was performed on 360 students living in dormitories of Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran, who were selected via random sampling method. The Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI-40) and Schema Questionnaire-Short Form (SQ-SF) were used to obtain the data. Data was analyzed using Pearson correlation and stepwise multiple regression analysis.
Findings: Schemas of emotional deprivation, mistrust, defectiveness, unrelenting standards, entitlement (P = 0.010) and undeveloped self (P = 0.050) had a significant positive correlation with narcissism and subjugation schema had a significant negative correlation with it. Also, results of the regression analysis indicated that schemas of defectiveness, entitlement, emotional deprivation, subjugation, mistrust (P = 0.010), and unrelenting standards and undeveloped self (P = 0.050) had significant role in predicting narcissism (R2 = 0.57) in order of importance.
Early maladaptive schemas could be considered as the basic cognitive structures that help to have a better understanding of how people with narcissistic personality characteristics perceive their social environment.