Narcissistic personality disorder is a mental illness characterized by an excessively high sense of personal importance, and it is relatively common. Up to 5% of the population may be affected. Recent research has shed light on how this disorder changes over time in individuals diagnosed with it.
Studies have shown that with age, individuals tend to become less self-centered. This decrease is observed from childhood through old age.
While overall narcissism tends to decrease with age, individual differences remain consistent over time. This means that individuals who displayed higher levels of narcissism compared to their peers in childhood are likely to maintain that characteristic into adulthood.
The lead author, Professor Ulrich Orth from the University of Bern, emphasized the importance of these findings in understanding how narcissism impacts not only the individual’s life but also the lives of their family and friends.
Published in the journal Psychology Bulletin, the study analyzed data from 51 research studies involving 37,247 participants ranging in age from 8 to 77 years, with a nearly equal distribution of men and women.
The research identified three types of narcissism: agentic narcissism, hostile narcissism, and neurotic narcissism. While all three types showed a decline from childhood to old age, the rate of decline varied among them.
Although narcissism is considered a stable personality trait that remains relatively unchanged compared to peers over long periods of time, the study acknowledges the need for further exploration across different cultures and regions to validate these findings.
The team also aims to investigate why narcissism tends to decrease with age. One theory suggests that assuming adult social roles like partner, parent, or employee may contribute to the development of more mature personality traits, leading to reduced narcissism.
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Source: www.sciencefocus.com
