SavedAdd your journal

Journals / Kıbrıs Türk Psikiyatri ve Psikoloji Dergisi / 2026 / Cilt: 8 Sayı: 3

The Moderating Role of Expressing Anger in the Relationship between Narcissistic Injury and Somatization among Individuals with High Levels of Vulnerable Narcissistic Traits

Kırılgan Narsisistik Özellikleri Yüksek Olan Bireylerde Narsisistik Yara ile Somatizasyon Arasındaki İlişkide Öfkeyi İfade Etmenin Düzenleyici Rolü

Özgün Özgönül(İSTANBUL AYDIN ÜNİVERSİTESİ)0000-0002-1489-4880
Pages
274–282
Publication Date
2026-09-09
🏛️Bibliographic metadata and full text access for this article are provided via DergiPark.
DergiPark Record ↗
✨

AI Summary & Key Takeaways

AI Insight
⚡ TL;DR(Too Long; Didn't Read)

Findings indicated that outward anger expression did not moderate the relationship between narcissistic injury and somatization symptoms, but did play a moderating role in the association between vulnerable narcissistic traits and somatization symptoms.

📌 3 Key Takeaways

🎯
Objective & Hypothesis:The vulnerable narcissistic self involves heightened sensitivity to others’ emotions, shame linked to grandiose fantasies, and reactivity to rejection.
📊
Key Findings & Data:The sample consisted of 473 individuals living in Istanbul (303 women, 64.10%; 170 men, 35.90%).
💡
Conclusion & Impact:Findings indicated that outward anger expression did not moderate the relationship between narcissistic injury and somatization symptoms, but did play a moderating role in the association between vulnerable narcissistic traits and somatization symptoms.
🔬Design:Survey & Empirical Study
📍Scope:Comprehensive Sample
⚙️Variables:kırılgan narsisizm · narsisistik yaralanma · somatizasyon

Abstract

The vulnerable narcissistic self involves heightened sensitivity to others’ emotions, shame linked to grandiose fantasies, and reactivity to rejection. When self-worth dependent on external validation is threatened, narcissistic injury triggers intense anger, which, if not verbally expressed, may manifest through bodily channels and reinforce somatization. This study aimed to examine the moderating role of outward anger expression in the relationship between narcissistic injury and somatization among individuals with high levels of vulnerable narcissistic traits. The sample consisted of 473 individuals living in Istanbul (303 women, 64.10%; 170 men, 35.90%). Participants completed a sociodemographic form, the Vulnerable Narcissism Scale (VNS), the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), the Trait Anger and Anger Expression Styles Scale (TAAESS), and the Somatization Scale (SS). Data were analyzed using SPSS 25. Findings indicated that outward anger expression did not moderate the relationship between narcissistic injury and somatization symptoms, but did play a moderating role in the association between vulnerable narcissistic traits and somatization symptoms. These results suggest that vulnerable narcissism is closely associated with suppressed anger. The inability to express anger verbally may manifest as bodily symptoms reflecting narcissistic injury. The findings emphasize the significance of anger expression styles in understanding the link between vulnerable narcissism and psychosomatic processes and highlight the potential protective role of strengthening anger regulation skills in clinical practice.

Özet

Kırılgan narsisistik kendilik, ötekilerin duygu ve düşüncelerine karşı aşırı hassasiyet, büyüklenmeci fantezilere eşlik eden utanç, alınganlık, öfke ve reddedilme ile eleştiriye karşı duyarlılıkla karakterizedir. Bu yapı, dışsal onaya bağımlı benlik değerinin tehdit edildiği durumlarda narsisistik yaralanmalara yol açmakta, bu yaralanmalar da yoğun öfke duygusunu tetiklemektedir. Sözel olarak ifade edilemeyen öfkenin bedensel yolla dışa vurulması somatizasyon süreçlerini güçlendirebilmektedir. Bu doğrultuda araştırmanın amacı, kırılgan narsisistik özellikleri yüksek bireylerde narsisistik yaralanma ile somatizasyon arasındaki ilişkide öfkeyi dışa ifade etmenin düzenleyici rolünün incelenmesidir. Araştırmanın örneklemi, İstanbul ilinde yaşayan 303 kadın (%64,10) ve 170 erkek (%35,90) olmak üzere toplam 473 bireyden oluşmaktadır. Katılımcılara araştırmacı tarafından hazırlanan sosyodemografik veri formu ile Kırılgan Narsisizm Ölçeği (KNÖ), Çocukluk Çağı Travmaları Ölçeği (ÇÇTÖ), Sürekli Öfke ve Öfke Tarzları Ölçeği (SÖÖTÖ) ve Somatizasyon Ölçeği (SÖ) uygulanmış, elde edilen veriler SPSS 25 programı ile analiz edilmiştir. Elde edilen bulgular sonucunda, kırılgan narsisistik özellikleri yüksek bireylerde narsisistik yaralanma ve somatizasyon belirtileri arasındaki ilişkide öfkeyi dışa ifade etmenin düzenleyici rolü olmadığı; ancak bireylerin kırılgan narsisistik özellikleri ile somatizasyon belirtileri arasındaki ilişkide öfkeyi dışa ifade etmelerinin düzenleyici rolü olduğu belirlenmiştir. Bu bulgular, kırılgan narsisizmin bastırılmış öfke deneyimleriyle yakından ilişkili olduğunu göstermektedir. Sözel olarak ifade edilemeyen öfkenin bedensel belirtiler aracılığıyla dışa vurulması, narsisistik yaralanmaların somatik yansımalarına işaret etmektedir. Bulgular, kırılgan narsisistik yapının psikosomatik süreçlerle etkileşimini anlamada öfke dışavurumu biçimlerinin önemini vurgulamakta ve klinik uygulamalarda öfke düzenleme becerilerine odaklanmanın koruyucu bir rol oynayabileceğini göstermektedir.

🔖

Cite This Article

Özgönül, Ö. (2026). The Moderating Role of Expressing Anger in the Relationship between Narcissistic Injury and Somatization among Individuals with High Levels of Vulnerable Narcissistic Traits. Kıbrıs Türk Psikiyatri ve Psikoloji Dergisi, Cilt: 8 Sayı: 3, 274–282. https://doi.org/10.35365/ctjpp.26.3.05

📄 Full Text PDF Viewer

📄

PDF görüntüleyici hazırlanıyor...

References (50)

  1. Bernstein, D. P., Fink, L., Handelsman, L. ve Foote, J. (1994). Initial reliability and validity of a new retrospective measure of child abuse and neglect. Ameri¬can Journal of Psychiatry, 151, 1132–1136. https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.151.8.1132.
  2. Busch, F. N. (2014). Clinical approaches to somatization. Journal of Clinical Psychology: In Session, 70(5), 419–427. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.22086
  3. Cain, N. M., Pincus, A. L. ve Ansell, E. B. (2008). Narcissism at the crossroads: Phenotypic description of pathological narcissism across clinical theory, social/personality psychology, and psychiatric diagnosis. Clinical Psychology Reviews, 28(4), 638–656. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2007.09.006.
  4. DuPen, M. M., Van Tilburg, M. A., Langer, S. L., Murphy, T. B., Romano, J. M. ve Levy, R. L. (2016). Parental protectiveness mediates the association between parent-perceived child self-efficacy and health outcomes in pediatric functional abdominal pain disorder. Children, 3(3), 15. https://doi.org/10.3390/children3030015
  5. Dülgerler, Ş. (2000). İlköğretim okulu öğretmenlerinde somatizasyon ölçeğinin geçerlik ve güvenirliği. (Yüksek Lisans Tezi). Ege Üniversitesi Sağlık Bilimleri Enstitüsü, İzmir.
  6. Freis, S. D., Brown, A. A., Carroll, P. J. ve Arkin, R. M. (2015). Shame, rage, and unsuccessful motivated reasoning in vulnerable narcissism. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 34(10), 877–895. https://doi.org/10.1521/jscp.2015.34.10.877
  7. Given-Wilson, Z., Mcllwain, D. ve Warburton, W. (2011). Meta-cognitive and interpersonal difficulties in overt and covert narcissism. Personality and Individual Differences, 50(7), 1000–1005. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2011.01.014
  8. Green, A. ve Charles, K. (2019). Voicing the victims of narcissistic partners: A qualitative analysis of responses to narcissistic injury and self-esteem regulation. SAGE Open, 9(2). https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244019846693
  9. Ha, E. H. (2014). The moderating effects of the anger expression type on the relationships between adolescent's dep¬ression and somatization. The Korean Journal of School Psychology (한국심리학회지: 학교), 11(1), 1-18. https://doi.org/10.16983/kjsp.2014.11.1.1
  10. Hendin, H. M. ve Cheek, J. M. (1997). Assessing hypersensitive narcissism: A re-examination of Murray’s narcissism scale. Journal of Research in Personality, 31, 588–599. https://doi.org/10.1006/jrpe.1997.220
  11. İnce, İ. ve Kökrek, Z. (2024). Büyüklenmeci ve kırılgan narsisizmin ego savunma mekanizmaları ve psikolojik rahatsızlıklar ile ilişkisinin incelenmesi. Çekmece Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi, 12(24), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.55483/cekmece.1439537
  12. Kalaycı, Ş. (2010). Spss Uygulamalı Çok Değişkenli İstatistik Teknikleri. Ankara: Asil Yayın Dağıtım A.Ş. ISBN-13: 9789759091149
  13. Karaaziz, M. ve Erdem Atak, İ. (2013). Narsisizm ve narsisizmle ilgili araştırmalar üzerine bir gözden geçirme. Nesne, 1(2), 44-59. https://doi.org/10.7816/nesne-01-02-03
  14. Karasar, N. (2012). Bilimsel Araştırma Yöntemleri, 23. Baskı, Ankara: Nobel Akademik Yayıncılık Eğitim Danışmanlık Tic. Ltd. Şti. ISBN-13: 9786055426583
  15. Kealy, D., Ogrodniczuk, J. S., Rice, S. M. ve Oliffe, J. L. (2017). Pathological narcissism and maladaptive self-regulatory behaviors in a nationally representative sample of Canadian men. Psychiatry Research, 256, 156–161. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2017.06.009
  16. Kealy, D., Rice, M. S., Ogrodniczuk, S. J. ve Cox, W. D. (2018). Investigating the link between pathological narcissism and somatization. The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 206(12), 964–967. https://doi.org/10.1097/NMD.0000000000000903
  17. Kealy, D., Tsai, M. & Ogrodniczuk, J. S. (2016). Pathological narcissism and somatic symptoms among men and women attending an outpatient mental health clinic. International Journal of Psychiatry in Clinical Practice, 20(3), 175–178. https://doi.org/10.1080/13651501.2016.1199811
  18. Kellner, R., Hernandez, J. ve Pathak, D. (1992). Self-rated inhibited anger, somatization, and depression. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 57(3), 102–107. https://doi.org/10.1159/000288582.
  19. Koh, K. B. ve Park, J. K. (2008). The relation between anger management style and organ system-related somatic symptoms in patients with depressive disorders and somatoform disorders. Yonsei Medical Journal, 49(1), 46. https://doi.org/10.3349/ymj.2008.49.1.46.
  20. Koh, K. B., Kim, D. K., Kim, S. Y. ve Park, J. K. (2005). The relation between anger expression, depression, and somatic symptoms in depressive disorders and somatoform disorders. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 66, 485–491. https://doi.org/10.4088/jcp.v66n0411
  21. Koh, K. B., Kim, D. K., Kim, S. Y., Park, J. K. & Han, M. (2008). The relation between anger management style, mood, and somatic symptoms in anxiety disorders and somatoform disorders. Psychiatry Research, 160(3), 372–379. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2007.06.003
  22. Kohut, H. (2020a). Kendiliğin Yeniden Yapılanması (O. Cebeci, Çev.). 4. baskı. İstanbul: Metis Yayınları. (Orijinal yayın tarihi 1977). ISBN-13: 9789753422055
  23. Kohut, H. (2020b). Kendiliğin çözümlenmesi (C. Atbaşoğlu, B. Büyükkal ve C. İşcan, Çev.). 5. baskı. İstanbul: Metis Yayınları. (Orijinal yayın tarihi 1971). ISBN-13: 9789753422048
  24. Kovačić Petrović, Z., Peraica, T. ve Kozarić-Kovačić, D. (2019). Somatization as a defense from narcissistic injury. So¬cijalna Psihijatrija, 47(2), 199-213. https://doi.org/10.24869/spsih.2019.199
  25. Köknel, Ö. (1982). Kaygıdan mutluluğa kişilik. İstanbul: Altın Kitaplar Yayınevi. ISBN-13: 9789754051001
  26. Krystal, H. (1998). Affect regulation and narcissism: Trauma, alexithymia, and psychosomatic illness in narcissistic patients. E. Ronningstam (Ed), Disorders of narcissism: Diagnostic, clinical, and empirical implications içinde (s. 299-326). Northvale, NJ: Jason Aronson. ISBN-13: 9780765702593
  27. Liu, L., Cohen, S., Schulz, M. S. ve Waldinger, R. J. (2011). Sources of somatization: Exploring the roles of insecurity in relationships and styles of anger experience and expression. Social Science & Medicine, 73(9), 1436–1443. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2011.07.034
  28. Loeffler, L. A., Huebben, A. K., Radke, S., Habel, U. ve Derntl, B. (2020). The association between vulnerable/grandiose narcissism and emotion regulation. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 519330. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.519330
  29. Masterson, J. F. (1990). The search for the real self: Unmasking the personality disorders of our age. New York: The Free Press. ISBN-13: 9780029202920
  30. Miller, J. D. ve Maples, J. (2011). Trait personality models of narcissistic personality disorder, grandiose narcissism, and vulnerable narcissism. J. D. Miller, W. K. Campbell (Ed.), The handbook of narcissism and narcissistic personality disorder: Theoretical approaches, empirical findings, and treatments içinde (s. 71-88). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. ISBN-13: 9780470607220
  31. Miller, J. D., Few, L. R., Wilson, L., Gentile, B., Widiger, T. A., MacKillop, J. ve Keith Campbell, W. (2013). The Five-Factor Narcissism Inventory (FFNI): A test of the convergent, discriminant, and incremental validity of FFNI scores in clinical and community samples. Psychological Assessment, 25(3), 748–758. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0032536
  32. Okada, R. (2010). The relationship between vulnerable narcissism and aggression in Japanese undergraduate students. Personality and Individual Differences, 49, 113-118. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2010.03.017
  33. Özer, A. K. (1994). Sürekli öfke ve öfke ifade tarzı ölçekleri ön çalışması. Türk Psikoloji Dergisi, 9(31), 26–35.
  34. Özmen, E. (2006). Kendini Tanıma Rehberi. İstanbul: Sistem Yayıncılık, Kıssadan Hisseler Dizisi. ISBN-13: 9789750112638
  35. Öztürk, M. O. ve Uluşahin, N. A. (2015). Ruh Sağlığı ve Bozuklukları. 13. baskı. Ankara: Nobel Tıp Kitapevleri. ISBN-13: 9786056485718
  36. Pincus, A. L. ve Lukowitsky, M. A. (2010). Pathological narcissism and narcissistic personality disorder. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 6, 421–446. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.clinpsy.121208.131215.
  37. Pincus, A. L., Cain, N. M. ve Wright, A. G. C. (2014). Narcissistic grandiosity and narcissistic vulnerability in psychotherapy. Personality Disorders: Theory, Research, and Treatment, 5(4), 439–443. https://doi.org/10.1037/per0000031.
  38. Ronningstam, E. (2005). Identifying and Understanding the Narcissistic Personality. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN-13: 9780195148732
  39. Salmivalli, C. (2001). Feeling good about oneself, being bad to others? Remarks on self-esteem, hostility, and aggressive behavior. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 6(4), 375–393. https://doi.org/10.1016/S13591789(00)00012-4
  40. Sever, E. (2018). Savaş nevrozlarından hareketle psikosomatiğe bakış. Yurttaş, G. T. ve İkiz, T. (Ed.), Savaş ve psikoloji: Psikoloji bilimi çerçevesinden Birinci Dünya Savaşı’na bir bakış içinde (s. 79-86). İstanbul: Hiperlink Yayınları. ISBN-13: 9786052811986
  41. Şar, V., Öztürk, E. ve İkikardes, E., (2012). Validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. Türkiye Klinikleri Tıp Bilimleri Dergisi, 32(4), 1054–1063. https://doi.org/10.5336/medsci.201126947
  42. Şengül, B. Z., Ünal, E., Akça, S., Canbolat, F., Denizci, M. ve Baştuğ, G. (2015). Validity and reliability study of the Turkish adaptation of the Hypersensitive Narcissism Scale (HSNS), Düşünen Adam, The Journal of Psychiatry and Neurological Sciences, 28, 231–241. https://doi.org/10.5350/DAJPN2015280306.
  43. Şenyuva, G. ve Yavuz, M. F. (2024). Karanlık üçlü kişilik örüntüleri ve psikolojik manipülasyon arasındaki ilişkinin değerlendirmesi- İstanbul örneklemi. Kıbrıs Türk Psikiyatri ve Psikoloji Dergisi, 6(3), 223–231. https://doi.org/10.35365/ctjpp.24.3.03
  44. Théberge, D. & Gamache, D. (2023). An appraisal of narcissistic rage through path modeling. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 38(1-2), 796–818. https://doi.org/10.1177/08862605221084746
  45. Van Schie, C. C., Jarman, H. L., Reis, S. ve Grenyer, B. F. (2021). Narcissistic traits in young people and how experiencing shame relates to current attachment challenges. BMC Psychiatry, 21(1), 246. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-021-03249-4
  46. Velotti, P., Rogier, G. & Sarlo, A. (2020). Pathological narcissism and aggression: The mediating effect of difficulties in the regulation of negative emotions. Personality and individual differences, 155, 109757. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2019.109757
  47. Wright, A. G. C., Stepp, S. D., Scott, L. N., Hallquist, M. N., Beeney, J. E., Lazarus, S. A. ve Pilkonis, P. A. (2017). The effect of pathological narcissism on interpersonal and affective processes in social interactions. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 126, 898–910. https://doi.org/10.1037/abn0000286
  48. Yakeley, J. (2018). Current understanding of narcissism and narcissistic personality disorder. BJPsych Advances, 24(5), 305–315. https://doi.org/10.1192/bja.2018.20
  49. Zajenkowski, M., Rogoza, R., Maciantowicz, O., Witowska, J. & Jonason, P. K. (2021). Narcissus locked in the past: Vulnerable narcissism and the negative views of the past, Journal of Research in Personality, 93, 104123. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrp.2021.104123
  50. Zamostny, K. P., Slyter, S. L. & Rios, P. (1993). Narcissistic injury and its relationship to early trauma, early resources, and adjustment to college. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 40(4), 501. https://doi.org/10.1037/00220167.40.4.501