Aggression in Social Anxiety
Narcissistic Self‐Centeredness as a Differentiator in Person‐Centered and Variable‐Centered Analyses
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21428108 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Reyihangu Tuerxun (Beijing Key Laboratory of Learning and Cognition and School of Psychology Capital Normal University Beijing China), Yanan Li (0000-0002-9456-4514, Beijing Key Laboratory of Learning and Cognition and School of Psychology Capital Normal University Beijing China), Lixia Cui (0000-0001-5963-6669, Beijing Key Laboratory of Learning and Cognition and School of Psychology Capital Normal University Beijing China, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 52 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | e70069-e70069 |
| Publication date | 2026-05-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Aggressive Behavior (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0096-140X • E-ISSN: 1098-2337 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1002/ab.70069 |
| PMID | 42187306 |
| OpenAlex | W7162441529 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 49 |
Although social anxiety (SA) is typically conceptualized as an internalizing vulnerability, a subset of socially anxious individuals display heightened aggression. The present study examined whether vulnerable narcissism—particularly narcissistic self‐centeredness—helps explain heterogeneity in the SA–aggression association. Chinese university students ( N = 872) completed measures of SA (Social Interaction Anxiety Scale; Social Phobia Scale), vulnerable narcissism (Hypersensitive Narcissism Scale; self‐centeredness and rejection sensitivity), and proactive/reactive aggression (Reactive–Proactive Aggression Questionnaire). Latent profile analysis using the two SA indicators and the two vulnerable‐narcissism facets identified seven profiles. A high‐SA/high‐vulnerable‐narcissism profile (“Vulnerable‐Defensive”; 9.9% of the sample) reported aggression levels in the highest tier across all three aggression indices, together with a Moderate‐SA/Moderate‐VN profile (Class 5; 23.9%) and a High‐SA/Low‐VN profile (Class 6; 6.3%). Planned contrasts showed that, despite both profiles occupying the highest SA tier, the Vulnerable‐Defensive profile—which additionally scored substantially higher on self‐centeredness—reported higher reactive aggression ( d = 0.32) and total aggression ( d = 0.34) than a high‐SA/low‐vulnerable‐narcissism profile. Complementary moderated regressions indicated that self‐centeredness modestly strengthened the association between SA and proactive aggression (interaction B = 0.095, p = 0.032; f 2 = 0.005) but not reactive aggression. These results suggest that SA is not uniformly associated with aggression; narcissistic self‐centeredness helps differentiate high‐SA individuals who are at heightened risk for aggressive responding
Aggression · Anxiety · Association (psychology) · Narcissism · Poison control · Social anxiety · Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes · Bullying, Victimization, and Aggression · Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum Disorders
The Use of Online Panel Data in Management Research
Vulnerability-Stress Models
Relational aggression and social-psychological adjustment in a college sample.
Sample Size Justification
Development and validation of measures of social phobia scrutiny fear and social interaction anxiety11Editor’s note
Complementary Variable- and Person-Centered Approaches to the Dimensionality of Psychometric Constructs
Social Anxiety and Social Anxiety Disorder
Initial construction and validation of the Pathological Narcissism Inventory.
Tutorial
Practitioner’s Guide to Latent Class Analysis
Uncertainty and anticipation in anxiety
Deciding on the Number of Classes in Latent Class Analysis and Growth Mixture Modeling
Statistical power analyses using G*Power 3.1
Human Aggression
Ten frequently asked questions about latent class analysis.
The profiles of social anxiety and impulsivity among college students
A two-factor structure of the hypersensitive narcissism scale describes gender-dependent manifestations of covert narcissism
The relation between narcissism and aggression
Searching for a Vulnerable Dark Triad
The link between narcissism and aggression
The Reactive–Proactive Aggression Questionnaire
Social Anxiety-Impulsivity Subgroups and Links to Later Emotional Adjustment in Adolescence
An empirically based power primer for laboratory aggression research
The reactive–proactive aggression questionnaire
Assessing Hypersensitive Narcissism
Cybernetic Big Five Theory
Narcissistic admiration and rivalry
Implications of rejection sensitivity for intimate relationships
Threatened egotism, narcissism, self-esteem, and direct and displaced aggression
Statistical difficulties of detecting interactions and moderator effects
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |