A stigmatizating attitude towards psychiatric illnesses is associated with narcissistic personality traits

Abstract

This study investigates the personality characteristics of individuals who have stigmatizing attitudes towards people with mental illness. Material and Method: 700 final-year university students completed the "Dangerousness Scale," the "Affective Reaction Scale" and 88 items of the "Defense Style Questionnaire" (DSQ). Results: The results showed that there is a strongly positive correlation between the use of narcissistic defenses and the tendency to stigmatize. In contrast, those with mature defenses have a strong tendency not to stigmatize. Conclusions: The findings suggest that personality traits should be considered in efforts to understand stigmatization.