Assuming the worst: Hostile attribution bias in vulnerable narcissists

ABSTRACT Past research suggests that grandiose narcissists expect admiration from others and are punitive against transgressors, but vulnerable narcissists are not nearly so socially confident. Instead, vulnerable narcissists may exhibit a hostile attribution bias, where they are suspicious and mistrustful of others’ motives. Using both a vignette-based methodology in Study 1 (N = 205) and a trait-based methodology in Study 2 (N = 137), we found a consistent link between vulnerable narcissism and hostile attribution bias. Importantly, no such link exists for grandiose narcissists, suggesting that hostile attribution bias is specific to vulnerable narcissists. These findings provide intriguing avenues for future research and add clarity to the field’s understanding of who vulnerable narcissists are and how they view their social worlds.