Is Your Manager a Narcissist? Research Reveals Surprising Trait Overlap

You're not imagining it. That uneasy feeling about your narcissistic manager—the way they take credit for your work, dismiss your concerns, or somehow make every conversation about themselves—may have a scientific explanation.

Many employees struggle silently, wondering if their manager's behavior is normal assertiveness or something more concerning. The good news? Peer-reviewed research has answers, and they might validate what you've been feeling all along.

In this article, we'll explore what studies reveal about the surprising overlap between management positions and narcissistic traits, why this happens, and what you can do about it.

The Research Is Clear: Managers Score Higher on Narcissism

If you've ever suspected that something is different about how managers behave compared to other people, science backs you up.

What the 2024 Studies Show

A 2024 study published in Scientific Reports examined 344 managerial participants and found something striking: compared to the general population, managers exhibited significantly higher levels of grandiose narcissism.

Interestingly, the same study found that managers showed lower levels of vulnerable narcissism. This means they're more likely to display the confident, self-promoting type of narcissism rather than the insecure, defensive variety.

This isn't just one study. Research from PMC confirms that 63.3% of all narcissism research in organizational settings focuses specifically on individuals in formal authority positions—suggesting researchers have long recognized the connection.

"The meta-analytic relationship between narcissism and leader effectiveness is virtually zero—unless performance is appraised by the narcissist themselves."

This quote reveals a crucial insight: narcissistic managers often think they're doing a great job, even when objective measures suggest otherwise.

Why Narcissists Rise to Management Positions

Understanding why this happens isn't about blaming the system—it's about recognizing the patterns that allow narcissistic individuals to advance.

The Interview Advantage

Narcissists excel at job interviews. Research consistently shows they receive more favorable evaluations compared to non-narcissistic candidates.

Why? They make exceptional first impressions through:

• High confidence and assertiveness
• Skilled self-promotion
• Charm-like communication style

The problem is that interview performance rarely predicts actual job performance. Narcissists are better at getting the job than doing the job.

The Leadership Selection Bias

Stanford Graduate School of Business research reveals a troubling pattern in how we select leaders:

"If you gather a group of strangers and give them a task, those who are more narcissistic are much more likely to be selected as leaders."

This happens because narcissistic traits—confidence, decisiveness, dominance—match our cultural stereotypes of what a "leader" should look like. We mistake their grandiosity for competence.

Key Traits That Overlap Between Managers and Narcissists

Research identifies three core components of narcissism that frequently appear in management roles. Understanding these traits can help you distinguish between manipulation and genuine empathy in workplace interactions.

Grandiose Self-Importance

Narcissistic managers consistently:

• Overestimate their own abilities
• Exaggerate their accomplishments
• Believe they deserve special treatment

You might recognize this in a manager who takes credit for team successes but blames others for failures, or who believes rules that apply to everyone else don't apply to them.

Lack of Empathy

One of the most damaging traits. According to PMC research, narcissistic leaders struggle to:

• Understand others' perspectives
• Care about employees' feelings
• Consider how their decisions impact team members

This explains why conversations with a narcissistic manager often feel one-sided—they genuinely struggle to see situations from your point of view. If you've experienced gaslighting trauma from ongoing manipulation, the lack of empathy can feel particularly devastating.

Exploitativeness

Narcissistic managers often:

• Take credit for others' work without acknowledgment
• Use employees primarily for personal gain
• Set unrealistically difficult targets to boost their own bonuses

Research from Harvard Law School links narcissistic leadership to overinvestment, financial misreporting, and volatile organizational performance.

The Narcissism Cascade: How They Hire Their Own Kind

Here's something that might explain why toxic workplace cultures persist: narcissistic leaders tend to hire other narcissists.

A 2024 study analyzing 11,705 LinkedIn profiles of U.S. company executives found that an increase in a CEO's narcissism by one standard deviation leads to an 18% higher level of narcissism in each newly appointed executive.

"Narcissists want to dominate each other, which leads to conflicts on the board, and these in turn lead to more fluctuation in the executive team."

This creates a self-reinforcing cycle: narcissistic leaders promote people like themselves, perpetuating toxic leadership culture throughout organizations. Understanding the psychology behind why gaslighting works can help explain how these patterns become normalized.

Signs Your Manager May Be Narcissistic

Recognizing the patterns can help you make sense of confusing workplace dynamics.

Behavioral Red Flags

Watch for these consistent patterns:

1. Credit-taking and blame-deflecting: Success is theirs; failure is yours
2. Reactive anger to criticism: Even gentle feedback triggers defensiveness
3. Making everything about themselves: Your accomplishments become their talking points
4. Information withholding: Keeping you in the dark to maintain control
5. Indirect bullying: Using gossip, exclusion, or withholding information to punish

Research from San Diego State University found that narcissists specifically prefer indirect bullying tactics and often feel satisfied after bullying incidents. You might also notice covert gaslighting tactics designed to make you doubt your own perceptions.

The Difference Between Confidence and Narcissism

Not every assertive manager is narcissistic. Research from Ohio State Fisher College found that moderate narcissism can actually be beneficial for leadership.

The key difference:

• Confident managers can accept feedback and acknowledge mistakes
• Narcissistic managers see any criticism as a personal attack

If your manager becomes defensive or retaliatory when you offer constructive feedback, that's a red flag. Learn more about the difference between gaslighting and narcissism to understand these dynamics better.

The Impact on You: What Research Says

Working under narcissistic leadership has documented consequences.

Studies consistently show:

• Higher stress levels for employees
• Increased turnover intentions
• Lower job satisfaction
• More cynicism and silent behavior
• Greater likelihood of workplace bullying

Research published in PMC found that narcissistic leadership negatively impacts employee job embeddedness—essentially making employees less connected to their work and more likely to leave.

The workplace bullying connection is particularly concerning. Narcissistic managers are associated with:

• Withholding information that affects performance
• Ignoring employees as punishment
• Spreading rumors
• Interpersonal aggression

These behaviors increase stress for everyone in the workplace, leading to higher absenteeism and turnover. If you're experiencing these patterns, building self-esteem to resist manipulation becomes essential for your well-being.

Coping Strategies: What You Can Do

Understanding the research is helpful, but you also need practical strategies.

Protect Yourself

1. Document everything in writing: Keep emails, save messages, and note dates and times of concerning interactions
2. Build relationships with other leaders: Don't let your narcissistic manager be your only connection to the organization
3. Set boundaries where possible: While challenging, protecting your mental health requires some limits

Learning how to set boundaries with a narcissist takes practice, but it's a critical skill for workplace survival.

Manage the Relationship

Since narcissists react poorly to direct confrontation:

1. Avoid public criticism: Save concerns for private conversations, and even then, be strategic
2. Give credit publicly: Satisfying their ego can reduce friction
3. Focus on what you can control: Your work quality, your professional development, your network

Know When to Leave

Sometimes the healthiest choice is departure. Consider leaving if:

• Your mental health is significantly impacted
• The situation shows no signs of improvement
• Other leaders enable the narcissistic behavior
• Your career growth is being blocked

Research shows that narcissistic leadership creates higher turnover—many employees before you have made the same choice. If you do decide to leave, therapy options for gaslighting survivors can help you process the experience.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are all managers narcissists?

No, but research shows managers as a group score higher on grandiose narcissism than the general population. Many managers are empathetic, effective leaders. The issue is that narcissistic traits help people get promoted, not that all promoted people are narcissists.

Can a narcissistic manager change?

Narcissism is a relatively stable personality trait. While awareness and professional intervention can help, significant behavioral change is rare. Most experts recommend managing your response rather than expecting your manager to transform.

Is it worth confronting a narcissistic manager?

Generally not recommended. Narcissists typically react defensively to any perceived criticism. More effective strategies include documentation, boundary-setting, and building support networks—rather than direct confrontation.

How do I know if I'm overreacting or if my manager is truly narcissistic?

Look for consistent patterns: persistent lack of empathy, regularly taking credit for others' work, reactive anger to any feedback, and making most situations about themselves. If multiple colleagues share similar experiences, that's significant. Trust your instincts—research validates that these experiences are real and have measurable impacts. You can also use our gaslighting signs quiz to help identify patterns.

What if HR won't help with my narcissistic manager?

Unfortunately, narcissistic managers often charm HR just as effectively as they charm interview panels. Focus on documenting specific behaviors (not labels like "narcissistic"), building relationships with other leaders, and considering whether the organization's culture enables this behavior systemically.

Are there any benefits to having a narcissistic manager?

Research suggests leaders with moderate narcissism can be effective—they're often confident, visionary, and willing to take risks. The problems arise with extreme narcissism, where exploitativeness and lack of empathy overshadow any benefits.

Moving Forward: You're Not Alone

Research confirms what many employees feel intuitively: managers disproportionately exhibit narcissistic traits. This happens not because narcissists are better leaders, but because our hiring and promotion systems favor their self-presentation skills.

If you recognize these patterns in your workplace, know that you're not imagining things. The scientific evidence validates your experience.

Understanding the research can help you:

• Make sense of confusing workplace dynamics
• Stop blaming yourself for relationship difficulties
• Make informed decisions about your career
• Protect your mental health

Whether you stay and manage the relationship or decide to move on, you now have evidence-based insights to guide your path forward.