Notes from the Underground: Seeking the top personality correlates of self‐referencing

Abstract

ObjectiveSelf‐focused language use has been frequently assumed to reflect narcissism; however, research indicates that the association between first‐person singular pronouns (i.e., “I‐talk”) and grandiose narcissism is negligible.MethodTo extend this literature, we progressively identify vulnerable narcissism and rumination as positive correlates of I‐talk in five studies (valid Ns = 211, 475, 1253, 289, 1113).ResultsThe first study revealed positive correlates of I‐talk suggestive of vulnerable narcissism. The second study showed more directly that vulnerable narcissism was a positive correlate but that this association was attributable to shared variance with neuroticism. The third study, a preregistered effort, replicated and extended the results of the second study. The fourth and fifth studies focused on rumination in a preregistered manner.ConclusionsAll the studies point to a clear distinction: While grandiose narcissism is negligibly related to I‐talk, vulnerable narcissism is positively related to I‐talk; moreover, rumination is a robust predictor of I‐talk. A research synthesis revealed the following constructs significantly capture I‐talk: depression (r = 0.10), neuroticism (r = 0.15), rumination (r = 0.14), and vulnerable narcissism (r = 0.12). The association between I‐talk and neuroticism was partially mediated by rumination, providing a testable candidate mechanism for neuroticism interventions.