Explaining the Links Between Narcissism and Fertility: Are There Differences Between the Grandiose and Vulnerable Component?

The main goal of the present research was to explore the links between grandiose and vulnerable narcissism and fertility (number of children) due to its conceptual significance in estimating the adaptiveness of narcissism in an evolutionary sense. Furthermore, we aimed to explain these links via mating behavior (attachment in romantic relationships, short and long-term mating, and relationship satisfaction) and reproductive motivation (positive and negative childbearing motivations, and age of first reproduction) in participants from Serbia (N = 953). Correlation analysis showed similar associations between the two narcissism dimensions, mating and reproduction: negative associations are found between narcissism components and fertility, and long-term mating, followed by positive correlations with insecure attachment and negative childbearing motivations (although grandiose narcissism had positive associations with positive childbearing motives as well). Therefore, correlation analysis together with the structural model where narcissism is analyzed as a single trait showed that narcissism as a whole is associated with lower fitness. However, a structural model where two subdimensions are modeled separately revealed substantial differences between the two forms of narcissism in regard to mating and reproduction. The link between vulnerable narcissism and fertility was completely mediated by lower reproductive motivation (both types of motives), shorter duration of romantic relationships, and diminished relationship satisfaction. On the other hand, grandiose narcissism was positively associated with positive childbearing motives and relationship satisfaction; hence, it was positively indirectly associated with fertility via these links. The present findings may shed some light on differences between the narcissistic traits in their links with fertility-while both narcissistic dimensions seem to be largely maladaptive in an evolutionary sense, the distinctive features of grandiose narcissism may have some benefits for fertility.