Traits of narcissistic vulnerability in adults with autism spectrum disorders without intellectual disabilities.
Vulnerable narcissism, not grandiosity, is higher in autistic adults—so screen for thin-skinned reactions, not big egos.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Broglia et al. (2024) gave the 52-item Pathological Narcissism Inventory to autistic adults without intellectual disability. They compared scores to a same-age group of non-autistic adults.
The survey asks about two sides of narcissism: grandiosity ("I am special") and vulnerability ("I feel hurt by slights"). The team wanted to know which side, if any, is higher in autism.
What they found
Autistic adults scored higher on total narcissism and on the vulnerable sub-scale. They did not differ on grandiose narcissism.
In plain words, the group was more thin-skinned, not more boastful.
How this fits with other research
Milosavljevic et al. (2016) showed that over half of autistic adolescents have alexithymia—trouble naming feelings. Vulnerable narcissism can look similar: both groups may seem moody or easily hurt. The new data say you should check which one you are seeing.
Rodgers et al. (2016) built a child anxiety scale just for autism. Giovanni’s work extends that idea to personality: use a tool that splits vulnerable from grandiose traits instead of relying on general narcissism items.
Healy et al. (2021) interviewed autistic adults about body image and found deep worries about criticism. Giovanni’s numbers back up those stories with a scale score, linking vulnerable narcissism to the same sting of perceived judgment.
Why it matters
If a client reels from feedback or shuts down after gentle correction, add the PNI-52 vulnerable items to your intake. Do not assume defiance or grandiosity. Treat the hypersensitivity as its own target: use clearer, less ambiguous praise, preview changes, and teach self-calming after perceived slights. This small shift can keep therapy moving.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
The relationship between Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD), considering the dimensions of narcissistic grandiosity and vulnerability, represents an important differential diagnosis and potential ground of comorbidity, since both conditions show high grades of pervasiveness, a life-long course, ego-syntonic traits, and difficulties in building up and sustaining interpersonal relationships Although the co-diagnosis rates, according to the categorical criteria in use, are limited (0%-6.4%), it is common to encounter diagnostic doubts in clinical practice. Here we investigated the dimensions of narcissistic vulnerability and grandiosity in a sample of 87 adults diagnosed with ASD without intellectual disabilities through the administration of the Pathological Narcissism Inventory-52 Items (PNI-52). The mean scores of our sample were compared with the normative distribution available in the literature, and we found that individuals with ASD scored significantly higher than neurotypical controls at the Total Score and at the Vulnerable Narcissism subscale, but not at the Grandiose Narcissism subscales. Demographic features did not influence these results. Vulnerable narcissism was significantly associated with the "Ritvo Autism and Asperger Diagnostic Scale - Revised" subscale Social Relatedness. These findings could potentially be indicative of a greater comorbidity rate between the two disorders with respect to the one reported to date, possibly because DSM-5 criteria are mainly focused on the grandiose dimension. Potential explanatory links between ASD phenomenology and vulnerable narcissism, such as the personality dimension of neuroticism, are discussed, together with the possible role of narcissistic vulnerability in mediating internalizing symptoms (e.g., anxiety, depression) in individuals with ASD.
Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research, 2024 · doi:10.1002/aur.3065