自恋对于孩子成长的积极意义

原作者：
来源Narcissistic traits help teens transition to adulthood
译者狭叶柴胡

A new study suggests that some forms of narcissism can help children navigate the difficult transition to adulthood.

　　一项新的研究成果显示，某些形式的自恋可以帮助孩子顺利过渡到成人期。

University of Illinois researchers discovered narcissistic traits often trend upward in adolescence then decline in adulthood.

　　伊利诺斯大学的研究人员发现，自恋症的特征会在青春期趋于明显，然后在成人期消退。

The study appears in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science.

　　这项研究成果发表在《社会心理和人格科学》杂志上。

“Most people think of narcissism as a trait that doesn’t change much across the lifespan,” said researcher and psychologist Dr. Patrick Hill.

　　“大部分人认为，自恋的程度在一个人的一生中不会改变多少。”研究员兼心理学家Patrick Hill博士说。

“But a lot of recent studies have shown that the developmental trajectory of narcissism goes upward in adolescence and what we call emerging adulthood — the late teens and early 20s, and then typically declines.”

　　“但是很多最近的研究都表明，自恋程度的变化轨迹在青春期出现上升，这一时期我们称为成人初显期——从十七八岁到二十来岁，然后一般会下降。”

This reduction in narcissistic traits coincides with a decline in their usefulness, the researchers found.

　　研究人员发现，自恋程度的下降与自恋的现实意义的大小相关。

Reserchers surveyed 368 undergraduate college students and 439 of their family members to get a picture of the narcissistic traits of the students and of their mothers. (There were enough mothers but not other relatives in the study to provide a robust sample size for analysis.)

　　研究人员测试了368名在读大学生，以及439名他们的家庭成员，以获得一张学生和他们的母亲的自恋程度图表。（相对于其他亲属，只有母亲的人数足以为分析提供足够多的样本。）

“We looked at three different forms of narcissism,” Hill said. The first, an inflated sense of leadership or authority, is the belief “that you know a lot and people should come to you for advice,” he said.

　　“我们发现有三种不同形式的自恋。”Hill说。第一种是对自己的领导能力和主导权的夸大自觉，相信“自己知道得很多，其他人应该向你征求意见。”

The second is “grandiose exhibitionism,” being pompous, wanting to show off, and having an exaggerated sense of one’s capabilities and talents. The third is a sense of entitlement and a willingness to exploit others for personal gain.

　　第二种是“好表现行为”，这会让人变得华而不实，想要出风头，对自己的能力和天赋有夸大性的认知。第三种是有权力欲望，而且自发地想从别人那里为自己攫取利益。

In the current study, young people who were high in the leadership and grandiose exhibitionism forms of narcissism were likely to report higher life satisfaction and well-being, while mothers who had the same traits were not.

　　在最近的研究中，有较高领导能力以及好表现形式的自恋的年轻人更容易对生活和福利表现出较高的满足感，但有相同自恋特征的母亲则不然。

However, among individuals who displayed other forms of narcissism, the outcomes are less ideal. That is, a sense of entitlement or willingness to exploit others for personal gain predicted lower life satisfaction at every age.

　　然而，表现出其它自恋形式的个人，结果却不太理想。也就是说，权力欲望式的自恋在各个年龄段都表现出了对生活较低的满足感。

Consistent with other studies, participants had a lower opinion of those with narcissistic traits. Narcissistic mothers, in particular, tended to be viewed as neurotic and low in conscientiousness, the researchers found.

　　研究人员发现，与其它的研究成果一样，参与者对自恋的负面评价居多。特别是对于自恋的母亲，人们会认为她们神经质且缺乏责任感。

Students who were narcissistic were not generally judged to be neurotic, but they and their narcissistic mothers were more likely to be viewed as low in “agreeableness.”

　　而有自恋倾向的学生一般不会被判定为神经质，但是这些学生以及他们的母亲更容易被认为他们不合群。

These negative judgments, particularly of older adults, “could have quite interesting negative ramifications for people’s circumstances in middle and old age if they retain this rather grandiose sense of self,” said co-author Dr. Brent Roberts.

　　这类负面的判断，特别是对于较高龄的成人。“如果他们保留了一定程度的自大的话，负面判断可以在中年期和老年期使人们的处境发生十分有趣的负面变化。”合作者Brent Roberts博士说。

“This study continues a line of research that shows that there is a fundamental developmental shift in both the amounts of narcissism that people have and also in the meaning of it as people age,” Roberts said.

　　“这项研究包含的一系列研究表明，随着年龄的增长，人们自恋的程度和对自恋的定义上，会发生根本性的转变。”Roberts说。

An exaggerated belief in one’s own capabilities and prospects may help young people “navigate adolescence and the turmoil involved in trying to find a sense of identity,” he said.

　　对自己的能力和前景的夸大自信，可能会帮助年轻人“顺利度过青春期，以及试图寻找自身定位时的混乱期。”他说。

Later in life, however, those same traits “appear to be related to less life satisfaction and a poorer reputation.”

　　然而在晚年，那些相同程度的自恋则“与对生活的满足程度降低有关，而且会与坏名声联系起来。”

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