Date Submitted
7-2026
Faculty Advisor
Esperanza Anaya
Abstract
Trait narcissism is a well-studied construct, but its relationship with perceived intelligence has been studied infrequently and never in medical students. This relationship has importance within the population because perceived intelligence is commonly associated with overestimation of one’s abilities. While overestimation can be a positive trait in some, it is correlated with an increased number of mistakes due to inaccurate conceptualization of one’s own abilities. Since medical mistakes are the third leading cause of death in the United States, this study hopes to understand if trait narcissism is a factor in this relationship. The current study hypothesized that there would be a positive relationship between trait narcissism and perceived intelligence. Self-reports on self-perception and trait narcissism were collected from 118 medical students from a Midwest university. A bivariate analysis revealed that students who rated themselves as more intelligent also tended to score higher on the trait narcissism scale as measured by the NPI-13. No demographic variables (e.g., race, gender) were identified as a significant moderator variable. Taken together, these findings suggest that trait narcissism is associated with how intelligent individuals perceive themselves to be, even within high-achieving, medical student population. This pattern was consistent across all narcissism subscales, suggesting that the association is not driven by a single facet of narcissism. More broadly, these results contribute to the literature by suggesting that perceived intelligence is not solely determined by cognitive ability or demographic factors but is also shaped by stable personality traits. Overall, the findings highlight the importance of considering personality factors when examining self-assessments of intelligence, and they point to the possibility that self-perceived intellectual ability reflects psychological self-enhancement processes as much as, or more than, objective indicators of ability.
