the relationship between the implicit self-esteem, the behavioral activation and inhibition systems (bas/bis), and narcissistic traits in students

Background & objectives: narcissistic personality traits are shaped by multiple cognitive and behavioral processes. this study investigated the extent to which implicit self-esteem and the behavioral activation and inhibition systems (bas/bis) predict narcissistic personality traits in students.materials & methods: this descriptive correlational study included 295 students who were selected by simple random sampling. participants completed the dirty dozen narcissistic personality questionnaire, the gray-wilson personality questionnaire, and the implicit association test for self-esteem. relationships among variables were examined using correlation and multiple regression analyses to determine the variance in narcissistic traits.results: results revealed significant correlations between narcissistic personality traits and implicit self-esteem (r = −0.48), the behavioral inhibition system (r = −0.53), and the behavioral activation system (r = 0.82). multiple regression analysis indicated that implicit self-esteem and the behavioral systems together accounted for 74% of the variance in narcissistic traits. although this r² is large, it is atypical in behavioral research and therefore warrants replication to rule out overfitting.conclusion: these findings underscore the roles of implicit self-esteem and reinforcement sensitivity in shaping narcissistic traits and offer guidance for psychologists and counselors developing culturally informed preventive and therapeutic interventions for students.