Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, Who Loves You Above All: Navigating Vulnerable Narcissism, Intimacy, and Marital & Sexual Satisfaction

Although narcissism is known to correlate with interpersonal dysfunction, surprisingly little empirical research has been devoted to understanding how the different types of narcissism (grandiose and vulnerable) affect marital and sexual relationships. The current study aimed to examine whether grandiose and vulnerable narcissism differ in their associations with heterosexual couples’ satisfaction with their marital and sexual relationships, and whether intimacy mediates these associations. Results indicate that vulnerable narcissism has the more prominent effect on intimacy and satisfaction with marital and sexual relationships. Both men's and women's vulnerable narcissism was related to their own reported intimacy. The women's vulnerable narcissism was related to the men's level of intimacy, whereas the men's level of vulnerable narcissism was associated with the women's level of intimacy. Intimacy mediated the link between men's vulnerable narcissism and women's relationship and sexual satisfaction, as well as the link between women's vulnerable narcissism and men's sexual satisfaction. We therefore conclude that the results heighten the impact of the pathological aspects of vulnerable narcissism on spouses’ intimacy, while intimacy, due to its reciprocity, may pave the way to such couples’ marital and sexual relationship satisfaction.