Sculpting Narcissus: A dyadic perspective on narcissism and buffering effects of perceived ideal self affirmation on relationship commitment

• Ideal self affirmation from a partner buffers commitment for grandiose narcissism. • This novel commitment-buffering effect was supported across three dyadic studies. • No mitigating effects for commitment were found for vulnerable narcissism. • This highlights self-regulatory differences between narcissism manifestations. Narcissistic self-regulation strategies aimed at pursuing a grandiose self can undermine relationship commitment. This study examined whether Michelangelo phenomenon mechanisms, whereby partners facilitate each other’s ideal selves through affirmation processes, can mitigate these potentially detrimental effects. Across three dyadic survey-based studies ( Ns = 107, 212, 213 romantic couples), our findings demonstrated that perceiving a partner as affirming or facilitating the movement toward the ideal self buffered otherwise adverse effects of grandiose narcissism on commitment. In contrast, no moderation effects were observed for vulnerable narcissism – highlighting self-regulatory differences between these narcissism manifestations. Altogether, perceiving a partner as ideal-promoting may mitigate commitment by serving the narcissistic self-goal pursuit and hence present one way to foster interdependence without compromising the narcissistic ego.