Grandiose and vulnerable narcissists disagree about whether others' vulnerable narcissism is relatable and tolerable

The narcissistic-tolerance hypothesis suggests that narcissists view other narcissists as more similar to the self and, hence, more likeable. Studies on this phenomenon have been limited to people's evaluations of narcissistic grandiosity devoid of narcissistic vulnerability. To expand the scope of testing and add to understanding narcissism and interpersonal evaluation, participants (N = 535) completed indices of grandiose and vulnerable narcissism and rated liking for and similarity to a fictional target who either presented as a vulnerable narcissist or a non-narcissist. The vulnerable-narcissist target was rated as less likeable and similar to the self, but these effects were reduced as a function of perceivers' vulnerable, but not grandiose, narcissism. When interactive effects of perceiver self-esteem and target condition were controlled, the narcissism forms largely converged on similarity and liking ratings as a function of target condition. In sum, the study expands the scope of testing for narcissistic tolerance, offers a boundary for narcissistic tolerance, corroborates the notion of distinct vulnerable and grandiose identities, and provides insight into narcissists' social perception.