Both based on the NPI format, two additional psychological assessments have been created for determining levels of narcissism in juveniles (NPI-JO) and children (NPQC).

The NPI, NPI-JO and NPQC are used to measure narcissistic traits in adults, juveniles and children respectively. These tests are not used for clinical diagnosis of NPD. Their purpose is to assess narcissism in subjects of psychological research.

Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI)

The NPI is the most commonly used assessment tool for measuring narcissistic traits in social psychological research. Raskin and Hall (1979, 1981) developed the Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI), a 54-item, forced-choice questionnaire with paired statements designed to measure individual differences in narcissism in nonclinical adult populations. For each paired statement, one represents narcissistic traits and the other nonnarcissistic. Several different versions of this tool have emerged since its invention. Currently a 40-item forced-choice adaptation of the NPI is the preferred format for assessing narcissism (Raskin & Terry 1988).

Although based on the DSM-III (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) definition of Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD), the inventory was designed to measure narcissistic traits in the general population. Thus, the NPI is often described as measuring both sub-clinical or “normal” narcissism as well as those considered to suffer from Narcissistic Personality Disorder. People who score very high on the NPI do not necessarily have Narcissistic Disorder.

The Narcissistic Personality Inventory – Juvenile Offender (NPI-JO)

The NPI-JO was developed by Georgia Calhoun, PhD, for measuring narcissism in juvenile offenders. Calhoun created this assessment to examine the connection that she sees between pathological narcissism and juvenile delinquency.

This instrument is based on the 40-item NPI (Raskin & Terry, 1988) with phrasing and reading level more appropriate for assessing narcissism in adolescents. The format is identical to that of the NPI, with 40 forced-choice items, each consisting of two statements, from which participants must choose one that best describes themselves.

Narcissistic Personality Questionnaire for Children (NPQC)

Developed by Rebecca Ang, PhD, the NPQC is a brief self-report scale for measuring narcissism in children. Prior to the NPQC, there had been no instruments to reliably measure narcissism as a normal personality trait in younger, preadolescent children. Because the cognitive and linguistic abilities of children are different from adults, there was a need for a developmentally appropriate tool that could be used to assess narcissism in children (Ang, 2000).

According to Ang, the NPI-JO is not an appropriate measurement tool for all youths, as it's specifically designed to evaluate juvenile offenders and is not generalizable to non-incarcerated children and youth. Furthermore, Ang believes that the forced-choice format of the NPI and NPI-JO is too demanding and linguistically sophisticated for children, with statement dyads for each item that participants must read and then choose between.

For the NPQC, each item has only one statement that is rated on a 5-point Likert scale, with the score ranging from 1 ("not at all like me") to 5 ("completely like me"). Like the original NPI and NPI-JO, the NPQC is designed for use as a research instrument and not intended for use as a diagnostic assessment tool.

What is Narcissistic Personality Disorder?

NPD is a type of psychological personality disorder characterized by grandiosity, need for admiration, and lack of empathy. Narcissism, formerly known as megalomania, occurs in a spectrum of severity, but the pathologically narcissistic are extremely self-absorbed, insensitive to others’ needs and indifferent to the effect of their own egocentric behavior.

There is a growing body of research indicating that aggression is closely associated with narcissism in adults as well as children and adolescents (Ang 2006). And the range of narcissistic behavior can extend far beyond NPD to include even more serious forms of self-obsession including malignant narcissism and psychopathy (Kernberg, 2004).

More Information on Narcissism

There are numerous on-line and in print resources with additional information on narcissism and personality disorders in general, including: Psychology Prof Online, The Mayo Clinic: Mental Health Center and the article Personality Disorders: Brief Summary of the Ten Disorders of Personality.

This article describes clinical tools used by professionals to assess individuals for narcissistic traits and disorders. The contents of this article are not meant to be a substitute for professional help and counseling.

Aditional Narcissism Sources

Ang, R. P., & Yusof, N. (2006). Development and initial validation of the Narcissistic Personality Questionnaire for Children: A preliminary investigation using school-based asian samples. Educational Psychology, 26.

Calhoun, G.B., Glaser, B.A., Stefurak, T., & Bradshaw, C. (2000).Preliminary validation of the adolescent narcissistic personality inventory-juvenile offender. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 44, 5.

Kernberg, Otto (2004) Aggressivity, Narcissism, and Self-Destructiveness in the Psychotherapeutic Relationship: New Developments in the Psychopathology and Psychotherapy of Severe Personality Disorders.

Raskin, R. N., & Hall, C. S. (1979). A narcissistic personality inventory. Psychological Reports, 45.

Raskin, R. N., & Hall, C. S. (1981). The Narcissistic Personality Inventory: Alternate form reliability and further evidence of its construct validity. Journal of Personality Assessment, 45.

Raskin, R. and Terry, H. (1988). A principal-component analysis of the narcissistic personality inventory and further evidence of its construct valididty. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 54, 5.