The Relationship between the Implicit Self-Esteem, the Behavioral Activation and Inhibition Systems (BAS/BIS), and Narcissistic Traits in Students

Background & Objectives: Narcissistic personality traits are shaped by multiple cognitive and behavioral processes. This study investigated the extent to which implicit self-esteem and the behavioral activation and inhibition systems (BAS/BIS) predict narcissistic personality traits in students. Materials & Methods: This descriptive correlational study included 295 students who were selected by simple random sampling. Participants completed the Dirty Dozen Narcissistic Personality Questionnaire, the Gray-Wilson Personality Questionnaire, and the Implicit Association Test for self-esteem. Relationships among variables were examined using correlation and multiple regression analyses to determine the variance in narcissistic traits. Results: Results revealed significant correlations between narcissistic personality traits and implicit self-esteem (r = −0.48), the behavioral inhibition system (r = −0.53), and the behavioral activation system (r = 0.82). Multiple regression analysis indicated that implicit self-esteem and the behavioral systems together accounted for 74% of the variance in narcissistic traits. Although this R² is large, it is atypical in behavioral research and therefore warrants replication to rule out overfitting. Conclusion: These findings underscore the roles of implicit self-esteem and reinforcement sensitivity in shaping narcissistic traits and offer guidance for psychologists and counselors developing culturally informed preventive and therapeutic interventions for students.