A multiwave study on changes in narcissism

Previous longitudinal studies on changes in narcissism mostly investigated change over long periods of time in samples consisting of young adults at the first wave. Thus, little is known about how narcissism changes in the short term and in adults of all ages. This study addresses these questions by tracking changes in narcissism over multiple assessments covering a period of approximately 2 years in a sample of adults aged 18 to 80 at the first wave (N = 3,599). Furthermore, we investigated whether narcissism predicted life events and life experiences from different domains and how changes in narcissism were related to these events and experiences. On average, participants decreased slightly on overall narcissism and three narcissism facets over 2 years. Narcissism predicted several life events and experiences, especially from the work (e.g., receiving a promotion) and relationship domains (e.g., breaking up with one’s partner). Several events were related to changes in narcissism; such as starting to date someone new and breaking up with one’s partner. Future confirmatory research testing these associations in a large sample with more frequent measurements is needed.