 29. Narcissism in Contemporary Personality Psychology  629
prehensive meta-  analysis of a large litera -
ture. Thus, the effect size estimates in Table 
29.2 are more suggestive than definitive. 
Krizan and Herlache (2018) also provide 
tables with correlates of grandiosity and vul -
nerability; likewise, Ackerman et al. (2011; 
see their Figure 1) discussed the correlates of 
narcissistic entitlement and grandiosity (see 
also Brown et al., 2009). Ackerman and col -
leagues (2011) suggested that narcissistic en -
titlement might prove socially toxic, whereas 
narcissistic grandiosity might prove socially 
noxious. Their idea is based on the obser -
vation that the correlates of entitlement are 
often more problematic and severe than the 
correlates of grandiosity. Individuals high 
in grandiosity might prove to be obnoxious 
and annoying, whereas those high in entitle -
ment might prove to be harmful to others. 
The pattern in Table 29.2 seems consistent 
with these generalizations.
Entitlement
Measures of entitlement are negatively cor -
related with Big Five measures of agreeable -
ness (see Ackerman & Donnellan, 2013) and 
measures of warmth. This is consistent with 
the idea that antagonism is a key element of 
narcissistic entitlement. Entitlement is nega -
tively correlated with self-  control, a finding 
that dovetails with theorizing by Vazire and 
Funder (2006), who suggested that elements 
of narcissism related to impulsivity account 
for the observed associations between nar -
cissism and self-  defeating behaviors (see 
also Witt & Donnellan, 2008). Entitle -
ment is positively associated with anger and 
negative affect, as well as measures of envy. 
Ackerman et al. (2011) noted that entitle -
ment is positively associated with antisocial 
tendencies and negatively associated with 
relationship quality. Moreover, entitlement 
is more or less unrelated to approach- and 
avoidance-  related motivation (see also Kri -
zan & Herlache, 2018).
Grandiosity
Consistent with Paulhus’s (2001) description 
of narcissists as “disagreeable extraverts,” 
measures of grandiosity are linked to lower 
levels of agreeableness and warmth, and high -
er levels of extraversion and dominance (al -beit the correlations with low agreeableness 
seem lower than measures of entitlement). 
Individuals with higher levels of grandios -
ity also possess increased approach-  related 
motivational tendencies and high self-  esteem 
(see also Krizan & Herlache, 2018; Tables 5 
and 6). Ackerman et al. (2011) reported that 
grandiosity is associated with social potency 
and drive. Grandiosity is also positively as -
sociated with most measures of risk taking, 
as reported in Krizan and Herlache (2018).
Vulnerability
Compared to grandiosity, the pattern of cor -
relates for vulnerability reflect high levels of 
neuroticism, negative affect, and avoidance- 
related motivational tendencies (see also 
Krizan & Herlache, 2018). Vulnerability is 
also related to low agreeableness and low 
self- esteem. Persons with higher levels of 
vulnerability appear to report problematic 
interpersonal relationships given that the 
dimension is linked to greater relationship 
dissatisfaction and mistrust, along with 
increased conflict and envy. Interestingly, 
Krizan and Herlache (2018) also found that 
vulnerability was related to risk taking. This 
could again be consistent with the idea that a 
lack of adequate self-  regulatory capabilities 
associated with some aspects of narcissism 
account for many of the negative correlates 
associated with the construct.
The Development of  Narcissism
Thomaes, Brummelman, Reijntjes, and 
Bushman (2013) suggested that narcissism 
may result when the processes involving the 
typically developing self-  system are corrupt -
ed. According to Harter (1999), the desire to 
feel valuable and valued by others emerges 
during late childhood. Thomaes at al. argue 
that narcissism first emerges during this pe -
riod of the lifespan if a child develops an ex -
cessive need to feel valuable and valued by 
others. Typically developing children want 
to feel esteemed, but children with elevated 
narcissistic traits take this desire to an ex -
cessive level. A key developmental question 
then centers on the source of this excessive 
or pathological need for esteem. Parenting 
practices are commonly invoked.