The role of sexual self schemas in the relationship between grandiose and vulnerable narcissim and sexual attitudes

There are literature findings showing that people with narcissistic personality traits have relatively more negative sexual attitudes. However, there is limited information on whether or to what extent these attitudes differ in people with vulnerable and grandiose narcissistic personality traits. Additionally, there are many different views on how these negative attitudes are shaped. The aim of this study is to explain the sexual attitudes of people with grandiose and vulnerable personality traits through their sexual self-schemas, that is, their perceptions of their own sexuality. For this purpose, Narcissistic Personality Inventory-16, Vulnerable Narcissism Scale, Sexual Self Schema Scale and Hendrick Brief Sexual Attitudes Scale were used and data were collected from 342 people in online environments. In preparation for the analysis, 26 participants were removed from the data set and the analysis continued with 316 participants. As a result of the correlation and mediation analyses, it was determined that the relevant variables were related to sexual attitudes, that the sensual/stimulating sexual self-schema played a mediating role in the relationship between grandiose narcissistic personality traits and sexual attitudes, and that both sensual/stimulating and loving/compassionate sexual self-schema played a mediating role in the relationship between vulnerable narcissistic personality traits and sexual attitudes. According to these findings, individuals with grandiose narcissistic personality traits and individuals with vulnerable narcissistic personality traits define their sexuality with a sensual/stimulating sexual self-schema, which negatively affects their sexual attitudes. In addition, the fact that people with vulnerable narcissistic personality traits do not define their own sexuality with a loving/compassionate sexual self-schema negatively affects the sexual attitudes of these people. The findings were evaluated and discussed in the light of the information obtained from the literature, and the study's contributions to the literature, its limitations and suggestions for future studies were presented.