“I'm too good for him”: a tool created to identify narcissists

Researchers at San Francisco State University have developed a new tool, the Narcissism Interview Scale (NISE), to help companies assess narcissistic tendencies in candidates.

Professors Kevin Eshlman and Chris Wright and their students created a tool to identify “narcissism,” which can “disrupt team dynamics.” NISE includes behavioral and situational questions aimed at identifying a candidate's narcissistic tendencies and short-term thinking.

Questions such as reactions to group conflict are worded to attract candidates, avoiding direct questions about narcissism. The goal, they write, is to provide interviewers with a scientific and reliable method for identifying characteristics that may damage the group climate in the long term.

Study co-author Sharon Pidakala, who works in human resource development in Singapore, emphasized that the questions can be easily integrated into different interviews.