How observed mentalizing varies in narrating personally meaningful stories and how this variation relates to narcissistic traits
Year: 2026
Type: dissertation
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Mentalizing, a multidimensional and context-dependent capacity for reflecting on one's own and others' mental states, is known to break down in emotionally charged interpersonal moments. Narcissistic functioning, where self-image, validation, and social comparison are central, is one such context, but mentalizing in narcissism has mostly been studied with self-report measures. Clinical accounts also hold that grandiose and vulnerable features come together as narcissistic pathology becomes pronounced, yet how this combination shapes mentalizing in real interpersonal situations remains unclear. This study used continuous observational coding to examine how mentalizing varies in narratives of personally meaningful experiences, and how this variation relates to grandiose and vulnerable narcissistic traits. Participants (n = 74), high or low scorers on the NPI-13, recorded four narratives about being admired or socially excluded in youth and in the present. Two observers rated mentalizing continuously with a joystick, and participants completed the Reflective Functioning Questionnaire (RFQ). Self-reported and observed mentalizing were essentially uncorrelated. Across the whole sample, narrative context strongly shaped observed mentalizing: outcast and youth narratives elevated the probability of negative mentalizing, and the youth–present contrast in positive mentalizing was strongest for admiration narratives. Turning to narcissistic traits, vulnerable and grandiose narcissism showed no main effects, but they interacted in predicting the magnitude of negative mentalizing once it occurred. The findings suggest that current self-report-based research on mentalizing in narcissism may not reflect how mentalizing unfolds in interpersonal situations
Source: UTUPub (University of Turku)
Author: Lehtisalo, Marisa
Language: English
Subfield: Clinical Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7220782510