Well, this is the classic nature vs. nurture debate, and narcissistic behaviour is of course on a spectrum. But there does seem to be a significant genetic component:
http://www.news-medical.net/health/Herit...ssism.aspx
I suspect that experience also has a substantial impact on this personality trait, with narcissistic adults compensating for childhood dismissal and neglect of their emotional needs, or responding to a situation like fame/celebrity in an extreme way. We all need a healthy level of self-esteem to function optimally; too low or too high, and there can be some serious issues.
http://www.news-medical.net/health/Herit...ssism.aspx
Quote: Livesley et. al.: Of the eighteen personality dimensions, narcissism was found to have the highest heritability (0.64), indicating that the concordance of this trait in the identical twins was significantly influenced by genetics. Of the other dimensions of personality, only four were found to have heritability coefficients of greater than 0.5: callousness, identity problems, oppositionality and social avoidance.
I suspect that experience also has a substantial impact on this personality trait, with narcissistic adults compensating for childhood dismissal and neglect of their emotional needs, or responding to a situation like fame/celebrity in an extreme way. We all need a healthy level of self-esteem to function optimally; too low or too high, and there can be some serious issues.
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