Examining Locus of Control and Attributional Style as Contributing Factors in the Narcissism-Aggression Relation

Previous research has shown a consistent relation between narcissism and aggression in adults (Bushman & Baumeister, 1998; Stucke, 2003). Although relatively few studies have examined this relation in adolescents, narcissism has previously been correlated with behavioral problems (Washburn, McMahon, King, Reinecke, & Silver, 2004) and aggression (Barry, Grafeman, Adler, & Pickard, 2007; Thomaes, Bushman, Stegge, & Olthof, 2008) in youth. The current study examined attributional style (i.e., intemality vs. extemality) and locus of control as contributing variables in the narcissism-aggression relation in adolescents. The current study consisted of 148 male and 26 female at-risk adolescents (M = 16.04 years, SD= .88). Narcissism was not related to overall aggression in the current study. However, narcissism was significantly correlated with self-esteem and proactive aggression. Contrary to expectations, locus of control did not moderate the narcissism-aggression relation, and a self-aggrandizing attributional style did not mediate the narcissism-proactive aggression relation. However, LOC was a moderator in the relation between self-esteem and aggression such that low self-esteem was associated with higher aggression for individuals with an external LOC. The implications of this study for understanding how self-perception is related to adolescent aggression are discussed below