Vulnerable narcissism and borderline personality in relation to personal values

In the current paper, we compare two clinically relevant constructs: vulnerable narcissism (VN) and borderline personality (BP). Although they may resemble qualitatively different constructs, they may also be interpreted as simply existing within a disagreeable and introverted neurotic. Given this inconsistency, we preliminarily compare the extent to which VN and BP are convergent, as well as examine the divergences between them in the context of the underlying motivational dynamics values. The study was conducted on an adult sample (N = 345). To analyse the structure of VN and BP, we used exploratory structural equation modelling; to examine their relationships with values, we used the structural summary method. Our results partially supported the notion that BP and VN are associated, yet structurally distinct constructs. Moreover, the analysis of values revealed that BP is more likely to value openness to change, while VN values self-enhancement.