Are narcissistic athletes mentally tough?Admiration (i.e., agentic narcissism) would be positively associated with mental toughness, whereas rivalry (i.e., antagonistic narcissism) would be negatively related

The effect of narcissistic admiration and rivalry on mental toughness. Harry Manley et al. Personality and Individual Differences, Volume 148, 1 October 2019, Pages 1-6. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2019.05.009

Abstract: Are narcissistic athletes mentally tough? Here we examined the effect of narcissistic admiration and rivalry on mental toughness. Based on their contrasting behavioural correlates and cognitive affective-motivational basis, we predicted that admiration (i.e., agentic narcissism) would be positively associated with mental toughness, whereas rivalry (i.e., antagonistic narcissism) would be negatively related to mental toughness. In a sample of elite Thai athletes (N = 297), we assessed narcissistic admiration and rivalry, self-esteem, self-reported mental toughness, and coach ratings of mental toughness for a subset of athletes. Narcissistic admiration was positively associated with self and coach-ratings of mental toughness. In contrast, narcissistic rivalry was negatively associated with self and coach-ratings of mental toughness. These effects were independent of self-esteem and stress the importance of considering both the agentic and antagonistic sides of narcissism when addressing narcissism's relationship with mental toughness.