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The Etiology of Narcissism: A Review of Behavioral Genetic Studies

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Abstract

A great deal of research has delved into the etiology of narcissism via behavioral genetic methodologies in recent years. These studies have established that genetic factors contribute substantially to (1) the variations of various types of narcissism, (2) the stability of narcissism as well as its associations with other personalities, and (3) the distinctions between different types of narcissism. In the meantime, environments (mostly non-shared by family members) also play important roles in these situations. Together, these findings shed light on the origins of narcissism. Future studies may further examine how genetic and environmental factors interplay with each other in influencing narcissism and even what gene(s) is associated with narcissism.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    This result is based on a reanalysis of the data in Cai et al. (2015).

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Acknowledgment

This work was supported by the National Science Fund of China (31300871) awarded to Yu Luo. We thank the editors for their insightful comments on an earlier draft.

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Correspondence to Yu L. L. Luo .

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© 2018 Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature

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Luo, Y.L.L., Cai, H. (2018). The Etiology of Narcissism: A Review of Behavioral Genetic Studies. In: Hermann, A., Brunell, A., Foster, J. (eds) Handbook of Trait Narcissism. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-92171-6_16

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