Subclinical Narcissism 1

Subclinical Narcissism Scale (SNS)

Alia Soni, Anam Fakih, Aruja Shelke, Jessica Soni, Pracheta Mehta, Ria Bhatia, Salonee
Jukar, Samia Mukaddam, Shreeya Bhandari, Vaishnavi Aher, Vedika Borkar, Vishva Shah,
Yashvi Shah.

University of Mumbai, Department of Applied Psychology

2019-2020
Subclinical Narcissism 2

Contents

1. Introduction………………………………………………………………………….…...3

2. Development of the scale………………………………………………………….……..8

3. Psychometric Properties……………………………………………………………….. 12

4. Administration ………..…………………………………………………………...…...17

5. Scoring and Interpretation .………………………………………………………..........18

6. Norms…………………………………………………………………………………...20

7. Applications………………………………………………………………………….....21

8. Limitations……………………………………………………………………………...22

9. References………………………………………………………………………….…...23

10. Appendix ……………………………………………………………………………….25

Subclinical Narcissism 3

Introduction

Narcissism can be conceptualized as one’s capacity to maintain a relatively positive

self-image through a variety of self-, affect-, and field-regulatory processes. It underlies an
individuals’ needs for validation and affirmation as well as the motivation to overtly and
covertly seek out self-enhancement experiences from the social environment. Most
theorists suggest that narcissism has both normal and pathological expressions reflecting
adaptive and maladaptive personality organization, psychological needs, and regulatory
mechanisms, giving rise to individual differences in managing needs for self-enhancement
and validation. In this scale (The Subclinical Narcissism Scale; SNS) we will be measuring
normal or subclinical narcissism in which an individual's score will fall on a spectrum of a
less narcissistic individual to a highly narcissistic individual.
We are not attempting at diagnosing Narcissistic Personality Disorder. All individuals
have narcissistic needs and motives; however, pathologically narcissistic individuals
appear particularly troubled when faced with disappointments and threats to their
positive self-image. Because no one is perfect and the world is constantly providing
obstacles and challenges to desired outcomes, pathological narcissism involves
significant regulatory deficits and maladaptive strategies to cope with disappointments
and threats to a positive self-image.
Sub-clinical narcissism is associated with a tendency towards endorsing positive
illusions about the self and minimizing information inconsistent with a positive self-image.
Such individuals tend to be ambitious, satisfied, and relatively successful, although this may
be at the cost of having disagreeable interpersonal relations.

Characteristics of Narcissistic Individuals

Narcissists have such an elevated sense of self-worth that they value themselves as
Inherently better than others. Most narcissistic individuals require excessive admiration.
Narcissists do not love themselves the way they want you to believe they do. They aren’t
Subclinical Narcissism 4

really that fearless people you see. They love getting showered in all forms of self-adoration,
but it’s only because they are starving for it-specifically because it’s the opposite of how they
genuinely feel inside. They struggle to completely empathize with others.
Non-narcissistic individuals get easily attracted to narcissists and their charms at first
glance and want to be part of their circle. They may come across as charming, kind and
extremely likable initially, but behind this persona is someone who is seeking to get their
needs met. Narcissists tend to have fewer friends in the long run because narcissism makes
individuals feel superior and entitled, making it hard to treat others fairly. Oftentimes,
what they think is an attack isn’t even an insult whatsoever, but an accidental challenge
to their ego. This extremely angry overreaction is called narcissistic rage. Extreme
narcissists live in a pattern of jealousy and the refusal to just accept that another person is
thriving. There is this constant irritation when it comes to sharing the limelight, and a
need to take their ‘competitor’ down a peg. Narcissists have an extremely elevated sense
of self-worth. They are grandiose, vain, and egocentric all at the same time. A narcissist
is not interested in other people; all they want is their attention. They only think of what
is most beneficial for them, not minding the needs of people surrounding them.
Since a narcissist can’t appreciate the things surrounding them, they will find themselves
in similar situations. A few episodes of peer rejection can possibly lead to social isolation
then to depression and might even be a reason for the development of suicidal ideation.
D​ecades of research on narcissism in normal populations has suggested that to some extent
and in some aspects, narcissism could also be desirable and adaptive.
For example, narcissists tend to be confident, assertive, extraverted, energetic, and happy,
and they are more likely to have high self-esteem and less likely to experience depression
and anxiety.
Psychologically speaking, narcissism is a personality trait that every human being
occupies to some extent. Everyone you know lands somewhere ​along the narcissism
spectrum​, and interestingly, research shows that a moderate amount of self-centeredness
and confidence is healthy—lending an engine of ambition and resilience to one’s
functionality and goals. A history of trauma can be a contributor in some situations, as
it can impact the development of empathy and regulation. Society also doesn't help with
Subclinical Narcissism 5

its focus on materialism, consumerism, competition and validation seeking. At its core,
narcissism is simply pathological insecurity that manifests as validation seeking and
antagonism, so any early environmental conditions—such as neglect from parents—that
fosters pathological insecurity and places a person at risk for later narcissism.

Grandiose and Vulnerable Narcissism

At the root of definitional debates in narcissism is the Diagnostic and Statistical
Manual Of Mental Disorders’ (DSM) decision to initially emphasize, and then selectively
retain- over successive revisions- the overtly grandiose features in its criteria for Narcissistic
Personality Disorder. In contrast, clinical theory has emphasized both grandiose and
vulnerable feature​s. ​The lack of sufficient vulnerability aspect in the DSM criteria contrasts
with much of the clinical literature and structural research that suggests pathological
narcissism can include oscillating or chronic conscious awareness and acknowledgment of
vulnerable affects and self-states.
Grandiose and vulnerable are the two forms of narcissism that share several
characteristics such as self-centeredness, exaggerated sense of self-importance and
entitlement, disagreeableness, and a tendency to interact with others in an antagonistic
manner. Regardless of the narcissistic common core, each dimension has its own exclusive
characteristics. Individuals with high vulnerable narcissism are described as being defensive,
avoidant, insecure, hypersensitive and vigilant for criticism. At the same time, they need
people’s recognition (e.g., admiration) to bolster their self–worth. Feeling underestimated
may result in withdrawal and passive attitude in interpersonal relations. Vulnerable
narcissism is also associated with lower levels of self-esteem, extraversion and agreeableness,
higher neuroticism, a negative view of the past and fatalistic attitudes.
On the other hand, grandiose narcissism is characterized by high self–esteem;
interpersonal dominance and tendency to overestimate one’s capabilities. Individuals with
high grandiose narcissism tend to endorse positive illusions about themselves, simultaneously
repressing information inconsistent with their inflated self-image. They fantasize about
superiority, perfection and omnipotence. Grandiosity can also be manifested through
exploitativeness and aggressive behaviors. Grandiose narcissism negatively correlates with
Subclinical Narcissism 6

neuroticism and agreeableness, and positively so with extraversion. Several studies revealed a
tendency to overestimate one’s own cognitive ability among people scoring high on
grandiose narcissism.
Note, however, that vulnerable narcissists conceal these grandiose feelings and
behavioral tendencies beneath a façade of inhibition, modesty, and concern for others,
whereas grandiose narcissists do not bother to do so. Thus, a fundamental difference between
the narcissistic subtypes is that grandiose narcissists regulate their self-esteem via overt bids
for admiration and respect, whereas vulnerable narcissists crave approval from others but are
too insecure to demand it.

Other Measures of Narcissism

Narcissistic Personality Inventory
The Narcissistic Personality Inventory by Raskin and Terry (NPI) is the most widely
used measure of narcissism in social psychological research. Although several versions of the
NPI have been proposed in the literature, a forty-item forced-choice version is the one most
commonly employed in current research. Another shorter version, a sixteen-item version
NPI-16 (Ames, Rose & Anderson), is also present. The NPI is based on the DSM-III clinical
criteria for narcissistic personality disorder (NPD), although it was designed to measure these
features in the general population. Thus, the NPI is often said to measure "normal" or
"subclinical" (borderline) narcissism (i.e., in people who score very high on the NPI do not
necessarily meet criteria for diagnosis with NPD).

Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory

The Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (MCMI) is a widely used diagnostic test
developed by Theodore Millon. The MCMI includes a scale for Narcissism. The NPI and
MCMI have been found to be correlated. While the MCMI measures narcissistic personality
disorder (NPD), the NPI measures narcissism as it occurs in the general population.
Subclinical Narcissism 7

Pathological Narcissism Inventory (PNI)

The PNI (Pincus et al., 2009) is a 52-item self-report measure of traits related to
vulnerable and grandiose narcissism. The PNI is a multidimensional self-report measure to
assess the full spectrum of pathological narcissism.

HSNS-Hypersensitive Narcissism Scale (HSNS)

The HSNS (Hendin & Cheek, 1997) is a 10-item self-report measure that reflects
hypersensitivity, vulnerability, and entitlement. Ten items that were the most diagnostic
regarded hypersensitivity and vulnerability as conceptualized by Wink (1991), and
significantly loaded on a single factor in three different samples (Hendin and Cheek, 1997).
Thus, the HSNS could be considered as a general unidimensional measure of vulnerable
narcissism. However, looking at the citation patterns for each of these, one can see that both
enjoyed only modest interest until approximately ten years ago, at which point their annual
citation rates increased dramatically. These patterns are reflective of a marked rise in interest
in narcissistic vulnerability.

Five-Factor Narcissism Inventory (FFNI).

The FFNI (148 items; Glover et al., 2012) and its abbreviated short form (FFNISF; 60 items;
Sherman et al., 2015) are self-report measures of narcissism that assess 15 traits related to
vulnerable and grandiose narcissism that can be used to score rationally created grandiose and
vulnerable narcissism dimensions, as well as three empirically derived higher-order factors
(Miller et al., 2016).
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Development of the scale

Individuals with narcissistic personality possess a highly inflated, unrealistically

positive views of the self. Oftentimes, this includes strong self-focus, feelings of entitlement,
and lack of regard for others. Narcissists focus on what benefits them personally, with less
regard for how their actions may benefit (or harm) others. The NPI (Narcissistic personality
inventory) which was developed by Raskin & Hall (1979), is not intended to measure NPD
(Narcissistic Personality Disorder) but normal or subclinical narcissism. The facets are
retained from clinical syndrome that included dominance, superiority and entitlement. The
Pathological Narcissism Inventory (PNI) is a measure for assessing grandiose and vulnerable
themes of narcissistic pathology.

Development process
Subclinical Narcissism Scale has been designed to measure the presence of narcissistic
personality traits that are otherwise said to be different from those of narcissistic personality
disorder. This scale has been designed with regards to the Indian context. The sensitivity of
the Indian population has been taken into consideration. This part of the manual includes the
overall conceptualization and developmental process of the SNS.
An extensive literature review gave rise to 11 behavioral domains that were later
revisited and 6 domains were considered for categorization of the items. The items under
these 6 domains were later reviewed by the experts.
The 6 domains identified were:
1. Superiority and grandiosity​ (an inflated sense of being better than others which is
expressed by disdainfully viewing them as inferior; and refers to a sense of personal
uniqueness)
2. Need for admiration​ (a high need for appraisal)
3. Lack of empathy, manipulation and domination​ (the need to exercise power or
influence over others, not having the ability to understand and share the feelings of
another.)
Subclinical Narcissism 9

4. ​Sensitivity to criticism, defensiveness​ (extremely negative reactions to criticisms and

overly defending oneself)
5. Insecurity and self-protection​ (uncertainty or anxiety about oneself, protecting
oneself)
6. Entitlement​ (having a right to something)

Item writing
A set of items were developed after a thorough review of past research studies based on
narcissism and the domains, after which the items were categorized under a specific domain
where, though consensus, they were thought they fit best. After every item was included
under a particular domain, the items were revised and reduced to 43 items. Initially, there
were 11 domains in consideration with the 43 items. The written items were then reviewed on
the basis of being double-barreled, being grammatically correct and whether any item
brought out the aspect of being answered falsely due to social desirability. To measure
narcissism in its subclinical form and not as a disorder, the usage of a four-point Likert
Agreement Scale was decided upon that allowed the individuals to mark the degree to which
they agreed or disagreed with each of the given statements. The respondents could indicate
their preference by choosing one of the four options for each item.

Item pool and Subject Matter Expert (SME) ratings

In the process of item writing, around 43 items were generated. Due to similar
meanings in some items and grammatical errors, the final item pool consisted of 37
items, with domains reduced down to 6 from the initial 11. This item pool was then
administered to 7 Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) where they were asked to rate each
item on a four-point Likert scale ranging from not relevant to highly relevant. The item
content validity index (I-CVI) was computed by obtaining a proportion, the ratio was
derived for the number of experts who rated the item as 3(quite relevant) and 4
(highly relevant) and the total number of experts who reviewed the items (7 in this
case). The items low on item content validity (<0.71 I-CVI) were modified
incorporating the suggestions by SMEs or were entirely dropped.
Subclinical Narcissism 10

The Item Content Validity index resulted in the elimination of 6 items, where
finally, 29 items were retained. Domains were mentioned in the scale given to the
SMEs to check if behaviours were sufficiently sampled from all necessary domains. The
domains were considered simply to aid in the process of categorization of the items
and for the expert review. Later, with 29 items retained and with the removal of 5
domains, a pilot study was conducted.

Pilot Study
The pilot study, now containing 29 items, was administered to 12 individuals. The age
group of the sample to whom it was administered was 18 to 40 years. The suggestions given
by the participants were taken into consideration and some changes were made.

The order of presentation of items was changed after the conduction of the pilot study.
The sentences that were too direct were shifted to the middle or end of the scale, so as to
reduce social desirability. The items that were not too direct and seemed easier to answer
truthfully were kept first, i.e. the item ‘I mostly surround myself with people who praise me’
was moved to be the first item presented in the scale rather than ‘I’m an extraordinary person’
which was the first statement initially. The 27​th​ item, ‘I will avoid going to social settings if I
feel I will not get importance.’ was changed to ‘I will avoid going to social settings if I feel I
will not get attention from others’ so as to make it more specific and easier to understand.
The wordings of the 14​th​ item was changed from ‘I do not care’ to ‘I am not concerned’, in an
attempt to reduce social desirability whilst answering.

The scale was changed from a four-point Likert scale to a six-point Likert scale. Each
item could be rated on a range from 1 to 6, where the ratings ranged from ‘strongly disagree’
which indicated the rating of 1, followed by ‘disagree’, ‘somewhat disagree’, ‘somewhat
agree’, ‘agree’ and ‘strongly agree’. The age range for the administration was decided to be
from 18 to 40 years.
Subclinical Narcissism 11

Main Study

Participants completed the SNS administered to them via Google forms. The
scale consisted of 29 items and along with this, participants answered the Brief
Pathological Narcissism Inventory (B-PNI) scale as well for the purpose of
measuring convergent validity.. The scale was administered to a sample within
the age range of 18-40 years . The participants were assured that the responses
they give would be kept confidential and used for academic purposes only. They were
informed that there were no right or wrong answers and were requested to answer
truthfully with the response alternative that best describes themselves. Once they
agreed to respond to the scale, they were required to fill certain demographic
details which included the age, name, educational qualifications, before
responding to the scale.
Subclinical Narcissism 12

Psychometric Properties

The demographic details of respondents considered were age, sex, gender, education
and occupation. The scale was administered on a sample of 259 participants out of which the
data was sorted out to only retain the responses of people in the age range of 18-40. The
collated data of 254 participants (M = 22.58, SD = 3.25) was thus considered for the
psychometric analysis of the scale. The sample consisted of 94 males (M = 23.13, SD = 3.29)
and 160 females (M = 22.26, SD = 3.2).

Table 1. ​Demographic data summary

Variable Female Male Overall

(n=160) (n=94) (n=254)
Mean SD Mean SD Mean SD

22.26 3.2 23.13 3.29 22.58 3.25

Dimensionality reduction (PCA)

The principal component analysis on SNS was computed to examine the final number
of factors that were to be retained for the scale. Three factors were reported to have the
highest loadings and explaining the maximum variance in the data obtained. The Sum of
Squares (SS) loadings or the eigenvalues after varimax rotation for the three obtained factors
were, for PC1 was found to be 4.33, for PC2 was 3.67 and for PC3 was 3.48. The percentage
of variance explained by the factor was 0.38, 0.32 and 0.30 respectively.
Subclinical Narcissism 13

Figure 1.​ ​Parallel Analysis Scree Plot for PCA indicating the presence of three factors

The first factor was labelled as sense of superiority and control, items like “I do not
mind forming relations with people to get what I desire”; “I often feel like others are envious
of my accomplishments; “I think I am an extraordinary person.” and “I enjoy exerting my
influence just for the sake of it”.

The second factor was labelled as sensitivity to criticism which included items like
“When people point out any shortcomings of mine, I feel offended.”; “I often have a response
to people's criticisms of me.” and “I dislike people who are critical of me.” which indicate
one's strong desire to avoid criticism from others.

The third factor was labelled as contingent self-esteem wherein one’s self esteem is
based on the approval gained from others. This factor contained items like “I feel uneasy
when I am not the centre of attention.”; “I will avoid going to social gatherings if I feel like I
will not get attention from others.” and “I always feel like others should look up to me.”.
Subclinical Narcissism 14

Table 2.​ Inter-correlations among the three factor level subscales

Sense of Superiority Sensitivity to Contingent

and control criticism self-esteem

Sense of Superiority 1
and control

Sensitivity to criticism 0.59 1

Contingent self-esteem 0.37 0.36 1

The inter correlations among factor level scales for the three subscales are fairly
positive and moderate (maximum correlation coefficient .59) indicating relative
independence.

Principal component analysis was also computed to examine the factor structure for
B-PNI. Three factors reported to have the highest loadings; these were named as sense of
grandiosity and control, hiding the self and devaluing and lastly need for admiration
(contingent self-esteem).

The three factors found in each of the two scales were also then used to find factorial
construct validity of the scale. Pearson's product moment correlation was computed of these 3
factor subscales. The factor of sense of superiority and control indicated a moderately high
positive correlation with the factor of sense of grandiosity and control (​r= .60, p< .01​). The
factor of contingent self-esteem for SNS was found to have a moderate positive correlation
with the factor of need for admiration (contingent self-esteem) for B-PNI (​r = .56, p< .01)​ .

The third factor level subscale indicating sensitivity to criticism denoted a positive but
weak correlation with the subscale of hiding the self and devaluing in B-PNI (r = .20, p =
.001). This could be attributed to the fact that vulnerability has a more clinical or pathological
manifestation when one talks about hiding self and devaluing, which the B-PNI focuses on
rather than the milder version of it which is indicated by sensitivity to criticism which the
SNS focused on, the statements in B-PNI did not focus on sensitivity to criticism and were
Subclinical Narcissism 15

rather focused on being vulnerable and having negative feelings of anxiety and shame not
directed to being criticised, statements included “When others get a glimpse of my needs, I
feel anxious and ashamed.”; “It's hard to show others the weaknesses I feel inside.”; and “I
can't stand relying on other people because it makes me feel weak.”

Reliability
Reliability indicates the confidence in a test to measure scores consistently when
retested with the identical or an equivalent form of test (temporal stability). Internal reliability
provides a correlation coefficient of the extent to which each item of the test correlates with
the entire test as every item should be consistently measuring what the entire scale is
measuring in turn.
The internal consistency of Subclinical Narcissism Scale (SNS) was estimated using
Cronbach’s alpha as the responses are on a Likert scale. The reliability alpha was seen to be
satisfactorily high, 0.89. This value was considered acceptable as any raw alpha value above
0.83 is deemed to be good enough statistically. Item 4 was deleted since it showed weak
correlation and did not load on any of the facets even after factor analysis. It was found that if
item 4 is dropped from the scale, the reliability alpha of the entire scale increases to 0.90.
Hence item 4 was eliminated from the original scale after data analysis.
For each subscale, internal consistency was assessed and the raw alpha values were
found ranging from moderately high to high indicating a good internal consistency even for
the three factor subscales. The reliability alphas for the entire scale and the three factor
subscales have been summarized in the table below.

Table 3. ​Internal Consistency summary (Cronbach alpha)

Reliability alpha Low/Negatively Change in alpha
correlated items

Entire scale .89 item4 (deleted) .90

Sense of superiority and .81 - -

control

Sensitivity to criticism .78 - -

Contingent self-esteem .73 item2 .76

Subclinical Narcissism 16

Validity
Validity indicates the extent to which an item precisely measures the psychological
construct that it claims to measure. Content validity represents the extent to which the items
in the scale are representative of the domain that the scale intends to measure.

The scale content validity index (S-CVI) was computed for the 23 items (I-CVIs were
averaged) that were retained following the analysis of the scale for its psychometric
properties. The S-CVI/Ave obtained was 0.85, an index beyond 0.80 for a scale is deemed to
be satisfactory to indicate the content validity of the entire scale (Polit & Beck, 2006).
To check for convergent validity, Brief- Pathological Narcissism Inventory (B-PNI)
(Schoenleber et al, 2015) was administered to the same population. The validity coefficient
was computed using Pearson’s product moment correlation in which scores on the SNS were
correlated with B-PNI scores. The correlation coefficient obtained was seen to be highly
significant (​r = .61,​ ​p< .01​) which indicates a positive, moderate and significant relationship
between the two scales. Thus, SNS has been found to have convergent validity with an
already established scale B- PNI, showing that it measures the same construct as the original
scale.

Figure 2.​ ​The scatter plot indicating the correlation between SNS and B- PNI (Schoenleber
et.al, 2015).
Subclinical Narcissism 17

Administration

This part of the manual outlines the guidelines describing the instructions for
administration of the scale as well as the population on whom the SNS can be
administered effectively. The SNS is a self-report measure, which can be administered
individually as well as in a group setting. This test is not a diagnostic test for Narcissistic
Personality Disorder. It is only to be used to measure Subclinical Narcissism in an individual.
The age range taken for this study was between 18- to 40- years old, however it would also
be appropriate to administer the scale to individuals above 40 years of age. The test
administrators are advised to not disclose anything related to the construct of the scale before
its administration as the basic requirement of obtaining unbiased and truthful self-ratings
would be compromised.

The instructions that have to be given are as follows: ​“Here are some statements,
dealing with general feelings about yourself. Please respond to all the statements honestly
and to the best of your ability. You will need to rate the extent to which the statement
describes you best, using a rating scale from 1 to 6 given below.

1. (strongly disagree)

2. (disagree)

3. (somewhat disagree)

4. (somewhat agree)

5. (agree)

6. (strongly agree)

Your responses will be kept confidential and used for academic purposes only.”
Subclinical Narcissism 18

Scoring and Interpretation

The final scale, now consisting of 23 items, with a 6 point Likert scale used as a
response measure for the statements also indicated the numerical value for each response.
The respective options range from 1 being “Strongly Disagree”; 2 being “Disagree”; 3 being
“Somewhat Disagree”; 4 being “Somewhat Agree”; 5 being “Agree” and 6 being “Strongly
Agree”.

The total score or raw score for each respondent on the scale can be calculated by
adding all the numerical ratings given by the respondent for each statement on the scale. The
score of each item summatively contributes to the presence of narcissistic tendencies. Since
there are a total of 23 items in the scale, the lowest possible raw score is 23 and the highest
possible raw score is 138. For a particular population, the scaled scores as statines scores as
given in the section under norms that can be used to interpret the raw scores in relation to the
general tendencies displayed by the sample of that population.

Subclinical narcissism denotes a presence of ​narcissistic personality traits in otherwise

normal people.​ High scores on the scale would indicate higher subclinical narcissistic
tendencies, this suggests that the person has a pervasive pattern of grandiosity, a need for
admiration, and lack of empathy. Subclinical Narcissism Scale specifically deals with the
domains of grandiosity and vulnerability. These domains are characterized by extraversion,
neuroticism, overt expressions of feelings of superiority and entitlement, introversive
self-absorbedness, hypersensitivity even to gentle criticism, and a constant need for
reassurance.

Furthermore the scale comprises three subscales. The first subscale, sense of
superiority and control, has 10 statements. The second subscale sensitivity to criticism has 7
statements and the third subscale contingent self-esteem has 6 statements (the individual
statements pertaining to each of the subscale have been outlined in the Appendix). The scores
on subscales can also be calculated as totals- adding the numerical ratings given by an
individual for each of the statements in the subscale. To make a comparison between the
Subclinical Narcissism 19

scores of the subscale proportions can be used, i.e. the ratio of the total score obtained on the
subscale and the maximum possible score on the scale.
Subclinical Narcissism 20

Norms

Every psychometric test assumes that traits or abilities are measurable and thus a test
provides a raw score. The raw score in itself is meaningless and needs to be converted to a
normalised score to be able to interpret it. Norms are indicative of a general or typical level of
the particular trait/ability for a particular group. This provides the ease to interpret the raw
score relative to a reference group.

The raw score for every individual who responded to the scale can be obtained by
adding the individual's responses for all the statements (23 items). Stanine (standard nine) is a
method of scaling test scores on a nine point standard scale with a mean of 5. Scaling thus
increases the interpretability of the raw scores, a comparison can be made between the
observations of the sample. According to the normative population the raw scores for the
entire data, females and males have been reported as per the stanines.

A pattern of interpreting stanines would be that the raw score of 37 for the overall
population falls in the stanine score of 1 which indicates very low narcissistic tendencies.

Table 4.​ Stanine scores and interpretable raw scores for the entire data, females and males.

Raw score ranges for

Stanine Interpretation of subclinical
scores Overall Females Males narcissistic tendency
(n=254) (n=160) (n=94)

1 Below 37 Below 36 Below 40 Very Low

2 38-43 37-42 41-48

Below Average
3 44-50 43-47 49-57

4 51-58 48-55 58-63

5 59-65 56-61 64-69 Average

6 66-72 62-69 70-77

7 73-82 70-78 78-87

Above Average
8 83-94 79-87 88-95

9 95 and above 88 and above 96 and above Very High

Subclinical Narcissism 21

Application

The Subclinical Narcissism Scale (SNS) is used for measuring narcissism as a

“personality trait” instead of a “psychological disorder”. It measures the pattern of behavior
reflecting a sense of superiority and control, sensitive to criticism and contingent self-esteem,
in a spectrum from low on narcissism trait to high on narcissism trait. This scale is not a good
measure for pathological narcissism since research suggests that pathological narcissism and
subclinical narcissism may be distinct personality dimensions. The SNS is a good measure of
negative personality traits present in a given society, that influence some of the critical parts
of an individual’s growth, self-identity and social personality.

The SNS is used for the general population instead of a clinical population to measure
different trends of cognitions, behaviors and emotions associated with narcissism. SNS can
be applied to various non-clinical settings to understand patterns of behavior in the general
population. SNS can be used in schools to measure the attitudes of children and parents. It
can be used in various counseling settings to understand and resolve marital conflict,
adjustment problems, problems at work, peer relationships, difficulty in forming intimate
relationships, and increasing self- esteem and confidence. Its application can be extended to
work and organizational settings at the time of recruitment or training, in order to ensure that
the new employees are a good fit to the organization by measuring their attitudes and
behaviors that could hinder their performance at the workplace. Therefore, the SNS can help
understand the behavior patterns of the individuals towards a narcissistic tendency and act as
a precursor in predicting the development of a psychological disorder in the future.
Subclinical Narcissism 22

Limitations

In the current development of the scale, although there were a number of measures
taken to make the scale robust, there are some limitations. The SNS was a self- report
measure which is unlikely to provide a comprehensive assessment of the construct being
measured, i.e. narcissism. Considering the nature of the construct, there is an issue of social
desirability in the responses obtained by the participants. Some of the statements in the scale
tap on behaviors that are undesirable and seen as “wrong” or “inappropriate” in the social
settings, which may have led the participants to give a false response, reflecting something
other than what they actually practice or believe. The items in the scale were presented in
English language, therefore, linguistic differences in a country like India would be likely to
pose a limitation, unless the scale is translated. However, translation may entail its own
problems of loss of meaning and content in the process, which will influence the responses of
the participants. The scale was presented to the urban population of Mumbai, between the age
group of 18 to 40 years and hence the external validity, in terms of generalization to other
populations and setting may be limited.
Subclinical Narcissism 23

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Subclinical Narcissism 25

Appendix

Subclinical Narcissism Scale (SNS)

Sr.no Statements
1 I will avoid doing a task if I know I will not be the best at it
2 I always feel like others should look up to me
3 I believe that people as good as me are rare to find
4 I often feel like others are envious of my accomplishments
5 I feel like I’m a major source of inspiration for many people
6 I do not think anyone else is capable of criticizing me
7 I get upset when people fail to appreciate how I look when I go out.
8 I feel uneasy when I am not the centre of attention
9 I feel I can do most things better than other people
10 When it comes to what I want, I am not concerned about the interests of
others
11 I dislike people who are critical of me
12 I find it absurd when others expect to be treated as equal to me
13 I can talk my way out of anything I want
14 I enjoy exerting my influence just for the sake of it
15 When people point out any shortcomings of mine, I feel offended
16 I do not mind forming relations with people to get what I desire
17 I should always be given the priority in decision making because I am
better at it
18 I often have a response to people’s criticisms of me
19 I feel uneasy when someone is better than me
20 When things go wrong, it's mostly because of others
21 I will avoid going to social gatherings if I feel like I will not get attention from
others
Subclinical Narcissism 26

22 I don’t think anyone is worthy enough to criticize me

23 I think I am an extraordinary person

Subscale 01
Sense of superiority and control- item numbers: 3,4, 5, 9, 10, 13,14, 16, 17, 23
Subscale 02
Sensitivity to criticism- item numbers: 6, 11, 12, 15, 18, 20, 22
Subscale 03
Contingent self-esteem- item numbers: 1, 2, 7, 8, 19, 21