Sexual Narcissism Scale – SNS
Assesses the extent to which self-centered, narcissistic personality traits are manifested in sexual situations.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Sexual Narcissism Scale – SNS was developed by Laura Widman and James K. McNulty (2010). It is designed to measure Sexual Narcissism. The scale is intended for use with Adults.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 20 items organized into 4 factors/subscales: Sexual Exploitation, Sexual Entitlement, Low Sexual Empathy, Sexual Skill.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Sexual Exploitation | 1,2,3,4,5 | 5 |
| Sexual Entitlement | 6,7,8,9,10 | 5 |
| Low Sexual Empathy | 11,12,13,14,15 | 5 |
| Sexual Skill | 16,17,18,19,20 | 5 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a 5-point Likert scale (1 = Strongly Disagree to 5 = Strongly Agree).
The scale includes 2 reverse-scored items to reduce acquiescence bias.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Total scores range from 20 to 100. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low Sexual Narcissism: 20 – 46
- Moderate Sexual Narcissism: 47 – 73
- High Sexual Narcissism: 74 – 100
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Full scale alpha = .81–.86.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 5 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.