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Personality and Social Psychology Review, Vol. 10, No. 2, 154-165 (2006)
DOI: 10.1207/s15327957pspr1002_4

Impulsivity and the Self-Defeating Behavior of Narcissists

Simine Vazire

Department of Psychology, The University of Texas at Austin

David C. Funder

Department of Psychology, University of California, Riverside

Currently prominent models of narcissism (e.g., Morf & Rhodewalt, 2001) primarily explain narcissists' self-defeating behaviors in terms of conscious cognitive and affective processes. We propose that the disposition of impulsivity may also play an important role. We offer 2 forms of evidence. First, we present a meta-analysis demonstrating a strong positive relationship between narcissism and impulsivity. Second, we review and reinterpret the literature on 3 hallmarks of narcissism: self-enhancement, aggression, and negative long-term outcomes. Our reinterpretation argues that impulsivity provides a more parsimonious explanation for at least some of narcissists' self-defeating behavior than do existing models. These 2 sources of evidence suggest that narcissists' quest for the status and recognition they so intensely desire is thwarted, in part, by their lack of the self-control necessary to achieve those goals.

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