Relations of proactive and reactive dimensions of aggression to overt and covert narcissism in nonclinical adolescents

In recent years, there has been increasing acknowledgment of the multidimensionality of narcissism and that different types of
narcissism may relate differently to other domains of functioning. Similarly, aggression—a frequently discussed correlate of
narcissism—is a heterogeneous construct. In this study, the relations of proactive and reactive aggression with overt and covert
manifestations of narcissism were examined in a sample of 674 Italian high school students (mean age515.5 years, SD52.1
years). Overt narcissism was positively related to both proactive and reactive subtypes of aggression, whereas covert narcissism
related only to reactive aggression. Vanity, Authority, Exhibitionism, and Exploitativeness were the components of overt
narcissism related to Proactive Aggression (all remained unique correlates when controlling for Reactive Aggression), whereas
Reactive Aggression was associated with the Exhibitionism, Superiority, and Entitlement subscales (only the latter was uniquely
related when controlling for Proactive Aggression)